An Unexpected Journey
by Lost.In.Desperation
Summary: In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. What if Bilbo was asked on this adventure but he was never asked alone? Now Thorin has another halfling to deal with, is this one just another pain in his backside? Or will she prove to be useful? Eventual Kili/OC
1. Chapter 1

In a hole in a ground there lived a Hobbit.

I watched as Bilbo wrote the words that would start off a magnificent story onto the page of the book he would later give to Frodo. The ink dripped onto the page, forever marking it with the memory of the adventures we shared with Thorin and his company. I remember it as if it was yesterday… but people say sixty years doesn't seem that long ago. I can still remember that old wizard that gave us a kick out of the door, when we knew nothing of him but his fireworks that we used to let off on mid-summers eve.

I do miss those days, I didn't think I would, but the adventure flows still, like the blood through my veins. It was around this time, if I remember correctly, that Gandalf showed up on our doorstep with the idea of taking us on an adventure. Sixty years ago that was a prospect that I didn't want to consider. Adventures were, as I had come to believe, horrible, nasty things that made us late for supper. Little did I know that supper would be the last of our worries when we ventured towards Erebor, or the Lonely Mountain as it was known after that terrible dragon, Smaug, took it as his own.

I think it was time I did remember exactly what happened during our adventure. After all, Bilbo will want my experiences too, I presume. He will write them all down, as he had promised all those years ago, and when the time is right we will present it to Frodo…

On the day our story begins, I remember quite rightly, the sun, as it had been for the past week was high in the sky. The smell of fresh grass wafted through the windows of our Hobbit hole. Bilbo was outside as usual, smoking his pipe. I was sitting in the pantry, which as of late, had become my favourite place to sit and read my books. It was strange, Bilbo told me, that I should be the one to be hidden in the pantry reading fantasy books. When we were children, it was he who would run off into the woods looking for elves and came back all muddied with sticks in his hair. I still remember my mother yelling at him for treading mud into the carpet. It is me now, who is convinced that one day I will have my own story. Maybe it is because Bilbo is nearly ten years older than I that I must relive the childhood that went too fast.

I flip the page of my book, reading about the struggles of men and the wars they have fought, when the door clicked shut. I breathe in the smell of fresh onions that are hanging just above my head and close the hardback.

"Bilbo?" I call, standing from my seated position in the pantry. I follow the small hallways of our Hobbit hole until I find my brother with his nose pressed up against the kitchen window. "Bilbo?"

He jumps back and turns to face me, then lets out a breath he had obviously been holding. "Rosa, I thought you were someone else."

"Why did you-" I stop myself then walk over towards the window. All I see is the rolling meadows of the shire. "Is everything alright, Bilbo?"

He turns from the window and takes a bun off the table which I had placed my book upon moments ago. "Do you remember the name Gandalf?"

"You mean the old wizard who sets of those wonderful fireworks? Of course I remember him, how could I forget." I too turn from the window and take a seat at the table.

"He asked me to go on an adventure." He looks aghast as he says the word adventure.

"Well, what did you say?" I press, pulling my book closer to me and resting my chin atop it. "Don't tell me, you told him no. You said that adventures are horrible things that make you late for supper?" He turns, his mouth set in a line. "You didn't give him that speech, did you?"

"Of course I did, what do you expect? I can't very well just up and leave you here and go off god knows where…" I sigh and roll my eyes at him, poor Bilbo, always thinking of me.

"I'd come with you of course, you wouldn't have to worry about me. There would be no way that I would let you run off out that door without me." I think back to the stories I have read in books, all of the people in them went off on an adventure. Maybe, if Bilbo would have said yes then we could have had our own story. "I take it we won't be seeing Gandalf anytime soon?"

Bilbo turns to answer, then stops himself and then sighs. "I didn't want to seem rude… I invited him for tea whenever he likes." I chuckle at my brother and then open the book to the page I had closed it on.

"Maybe we will have our own adventure after all," I smirk. Bilbo just totted and turned towards the pantry, muttering under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is chapter two of my first ever fic! It is definitely a longer chapter than last time.**

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I find that the days in Hobbiton tend to be slow and utterly boring. Bilbo wonders why I stay cooped up in the pantry with my head in a book of adventures. I'm surprised he doesn't know, all he does is sit outside and smoke his pipe. Today was moving as slow as yesterday, uneventful and this meant another day cooped up in the pantry. It was hard, however, to concentrate on my book when all I could think of was Gandalf and his proposed adventure. I wasn't sure what I would do if I was sitting outside when Gandalf arrived, I probably would have done the same as Bilbo, told him how preposterous it was that a Baggins should leave Bag End and hurry inside. I don't understand why the idea of an adventure bothers us so, it would be extremely exciting to see past the waters and over the hills, but I have heard so many stories of Goblins and Trolls. Not to mention Orcs, they're meant to be the foulest of the lot.

I flick the page of my book, a new one since yesterday, and try to concentrate on the words of another great battle. The smell of the onions that I have perched myself under is strong in my nose, it is a welcoming smell, a homely smell. But once again the words were lost to me; yet again all I could think of was the adventure that Gandalf had proposed to my brother… Bilbo has asked him back for tea, but I doubt he will take up that offer considering he is probably busy on one of _his _adventures. I sigh and shut the book, another smell invading my nose that is not onion but fish.

I traipse into the kitchen, my book forgotten on the pantry floor. Bilbo is bent over the fire, two fish are frying in the pan he holds as the light fades from the windows. "That smells lovely," I say, taking a knife from the side to cut the squash that he had not yet sliced.

"It will taste even better, I can assure you." I smirked at him, always so confident. I had just finished laying the cut squash on our plates when Bilbo dropped a fish onto mine. I pull a small piece of the meat off with my fingers and pop it into my mouth, smiling as the saltiness drops onto my tongue. I go to sit, but stop myself before my bottom touches the chair; both Bilbo and I look towards the door as another knock sounds throughout Bag End.

Bilbo hurries to the door quickly, wondering as much as I am who is visiting late at this hour. I pull off another piece of fish and head to the doorframe where I lean and watch Bilbo answer the door. The person's voice, which is hidden behind the door, is muffled; I only see Bilbo's shocked expression as he replies, "Bilbo Baggins, at yours…"

I contemplate heading towards the door to take a look at the stranger who is causing our meal to go cold. But no sooner had I taken a step forward, the stranger walked into our home. "Do we know each other?" Bilbo stuttered as the rather wide, but short man stepped further into our home.

"No," He stated matter-of-factly, and then continued looking around. "Which way, laddie? Is it down here?"

"Is what down where?"

"Supper," said the man, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "He said there would be food, and lots of it." _He_ said? Who's he? Has this man even got the right house?

"He said? Who's he?" Bilbo asked as if he had read my mind. His question fell on deaf ears however, as the man walked down towards the dining room where the smell of cooked fish was coming from. I stepped back from the doorframe as he walked in.

"Dwalin," He said, bowing a little. "At your service." He then sat down in front of Bilbo's dinner and began to eat. I was aghast at the man's forwardness; he had just invited himself into our home and then decided to eat my brother's dinner. Not wanting to be rude I simply replied,

"Rosa Baggins, at your service… I think."

I sat down when Bilbo walked into the kitchen, leaving my dinner on the table and to the mercy of the man named Dwalin. We said nothing; all that could be heard was the chomping of Dwalin's teeth as he finished off my fish. "Very good this," said Dwalin waving the fishbone in the air, "Got anymore?" I forced myself not to scoff.

"What? Oh… Yes, yes…" Bilbo looked around quickly and grabbed a plate of scones from the windowsill. He looked from Dwalin to the plate full of scones and then deciding that this man would devour all of them, he stuffed two into his pocket and handed the plate to him. Dwalin wasted no time in scoffing the first scone… and then the door knocked again.

"That'll be the door," said Dwalin, wiping the crumbs from his beard. I looked at Bilbo and then to the door, then stood and followed my brother towards it. I involuntarily swallowed as Bilbo opened the door; there standing on our doorstep was another man. He was significantly shorter than Dwalin and rounder too. His hair was white and he had several weapons sheathed in his belt.

"Balin, at your service." He said, bowing lower than Dwalin had… or perhaps it seemed like he had bowed lower because he was shorter.

"Good evening," Bilbo replied, to which Balin looked to the sky and declared,

"Yes, yes it is, although I think it might rain later. Am I late?" He asked.

"Late for what?" Bilbo and I replied in unison, we never received our answer as he walked past the two of us. I looked up at Bilbo who was clearly trying to figure out what to say to the two men who greeted with a head-butt. I shook my head and watched as Bilbo tried to tell the men that they weren't welcome, but they were too caught up in their own convocation to even notice that my brother was speaking to them. In fact they were too busy eating our food and drinking our ale. Not that I'm a big drinker of ale but it would be nice for them to ask if they could drink it first.

"Bilbo, say something." I whispered, nudging him in the ribs with my elbow. "At this rate there will be no food in the pantry by the time they have finished." Bilbo opened then closed his mouth, then shuddered as the door was knocked again.

Bilbo turned towards the door but I shook my head at him. "No, let me get it. Perhaps if I answer they will think they have the wrong house." The door knocked again and I made my way towards it albeit cautiously. Taking a breath I grabbed the handle and pulled it open.

I suppose I would have stood my ground if there was only one person at the door. But it was just my rotten luck that at the time I decided to give this person a piece of my mind there had to be two people at the door. The first and the second in fact, looked younger than Dwalin and Balin, the first was blonde with a slightly longer beard than his companion, who was his opposite. The second had black hair, but if they were judged on movement alone they could have been twins. They bowed together before the first introduced himself, "Fili," he said.

"And Kili," said the second. "At your service," they said together.

"You must be Miss Boggins," Said Kili, I was about to reply when Bilbo joined me at the door.

"Nope, you can't come in," he said nudging me to the side so he could grip the door. "You've got the wrong house." He was about to close the door on them but Kili pushed the door back and exclaimed,

"What? Has it been cancelled?"

"Well nobody told us," said Fili.

"Cancelled? No, nothings been cancelled." Bilbo stuttered.

"You might as well just let them in," I say quickly. "They're going to barge in anyway."

"Well that's a relief," The door swung open and the pair walked in.

"I told you so," I muttered.

Kili looked around excitedly, was that mischief I saw in his eyes? Fili followed him in but not before he dropped his weapons into my brother's arms. I am completely at a loss for words, we couldn't very well tell four men, dwarves whatever they are, armed to the teeth with swords and knives to clear off. I glanced back at the pantry where Dwalin and Balin were still guzzling the ale.

"It's nice, this place. Did you do it yourself?" I knew the question was directed at Bilbo but he was otherwise occupied with Fili's weapons so I answered.

"No it's- Wait a minute, don't do that! That's my mother's Glory Box!" I exclaimed as Kili finished scraping his boot on the corner of the lid. I frowned at the mud that had gathered and then quickly scraped it away with my sleeve. I didn't bother following Kili into the kitchen after Dwalin grabbed him around the shoulders and dragged him away. I sat down on the Glory Box and put my head in my hands… I need answers. It didn't take long. A moment later the door rang again and I didn't even bother moving because I knew who would be there. As soon as Bilbo answered the door, around eight others fell onto the mat, all mumbling that they were at our service. I turned however with the utterance of a name that made my heart drop and leap at the same time.

"Gandalf…"

I'm up from my seat in an instant and it takes me no more than a second to reach the door. "Gandalf!" I exclaim, smiling from ear to ear.

"Hello, Rosa. My, haven't you grown."

"Seems like I'm not the only one," I chuckle, moving out of the way so the other dwarves could stumble their way into the kitchen. Gandalf ducks under the door which the dwarves had so easily fit into and smiled warmly at both me and Bilbo.

"You have the wit of a Took, and a thirst for adventure like one if I remember rightly." I chuckle at this; there was no doubt that he and Bilbo had quickly discussed me yesterday.

"Yes, and you still make those fireworks if _I _remember rightly."

"Put that back!" I turn quickly, watching as Bilbo attempts to tell the dwarves to return all our food to the pantry. "Put that back!" Gandalf merely chuckles.

"I better go and save him," I say scurrying towards the dwarves. In mere seconds I don't know where to turn, there are so many dwarves moving at quite a speed that it is impossible to tell how many have actually entered Bag End. "Will you please put that down… or eat at the table." I say as the one called Bifur trudges past with a plate of chopped peppers. "Wait a moment, you can't sit on that- Isn't that a bit- Do you even have a cheese knife?" I smack my palm to my head and turn to hurry back to the pantry, but I crash into someone on my way. "Sorry,"

"Not a problem," I look up at Kili who is carrying a plate of sausages. I'm about to tell him to put them back and that they have quite enough food on the table anyway, but I silence myself and move out of his path.

"Just be careful with the plates." He nods quickly and continues on his way.

A small squeak leaves my mouth as I stare into the cleaned out pantry. Not even the onions that I liked to sit under remained. I knew there would be no food left as soon as Dwalin walked in. I sighed and began walking back towards the dining room; there were crumbs and even a stray tomato in the hallway. I pick up the tomato and shove it in my pocket, before walking past Bilbo who is more stressed than I have ever seen him in my life. Gandalf is pacing just before the dining room, turning this way and that and counting dwarves on his fingers.

"Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Boffur, Bombur… Dori, Nori, Ori… We're still one dwarf short." I would have chuckled at the unintended joke, but from the state the house was in with- I quickly did a count up- twelve dwarves already in our house, not to mention a wizard, we were full to bursting… One more dwarf certainly wouldn't do.

"He's just late, that's all." Said Dwalin, "He travelled north to a meeting with our kin."

I wondered momentarily how late this final dwarf would be, by the time he arrived there would be no food left for him- wait a moment, why am I worrying about a dwarf when there will be no food left for me and Bilbo by the time this is all over? "Tea, Miss?"

I turned towards an elderly looking dwarf, he was being very careful with the china he was holding. "Yes, please." I say, taking the cup from his hands. Without a moment to spare he scurried off into the dining room where the others were throwing food at the rather large dwarf, Bombur. A cheer rose up as he caught a round of cheese in his mouth. I chuckled and glanced at Bilbo who was practically pulling his hair out.

"They might have travelled a long way…" I say, nudging him in the shoulder. "We could always restock the pantry…" Bilbo turned, as did I, towards the pantry that was now empty. There wasn't even a crumb left on the shelves.

"I think I should talk to Gandalf." Muttered Bilbo as he scurried away to find the elderly wizard. Giving up on worrying about the pantry I headed to the dining room and sat down on the spare stool in the corner. The dwarves were quite a merry gathering, but I suppose it took a lot of time to get used to their habits.

"Here, Miss." I reacted just in time and caught the tomato that had come sailing towards me. A loud cheer rose up and my cheeks went beat red.

"Thank you," I said. "My name is Rosa, by the way." There is another cheer as they clunk their mugs together, then silence as they drink. I sigh at the sudden silence, but it is interrupted by several loud and drawn out burps. "Charming," I mutter.

"Excuse me! That is a doily, not a dishcloth!" Bilbo said angrily, he snatched the doily away as the dwarf who had been holding it explained, 'but there are holes in it,'

"Crochet…" I said, as Bilbo explained why there were holes in it. Don't even ask me how it got onto the subject of croquet.

The evening drew on, I became calmer as I got used to the company of the dwarves. Bilbo, however, was at the end of his tether; he would surely be bald before the night ended. Every now and then I would glance over at Bilbo; he was huffing and puffing like no tomorrow. At the moment he was asking Gandalf what exactly these dwarves were doing in our house.

"Excuse me," said one of the dwarves, "Sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?"

"Here you go, Ori." I turned to see Kili out of the corner of my eye; he had just appeared from the darkness of the opposing hallway. "Give it to me," He caught my eye and smirked as Ori threw him the plate. If I didn't want to see how this played out I would have hid my eyes and waited for the crash of breaking china. But I did want to see how this played out, so I watched as Kili caught plate after plate and fling them into the next room- there was no crash of breaking china. It was incredible to watch as Kili juggled the plates from his knees to his elbows and then throw them to whoever was waiting in the next room. There was a rumble, like the sound of stamping feet as the dwarves who were still in the dining room took up their knives and forks and bashed them together and off the table.

"Don't do that!" I heard Bilbo yell, "You'll blunt them!"

"Oh, did you hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" I snorted into my palm as the beat rose even louder. What surprised me most was that Kili burst into song behind me.

"_Blunt the knives_

_Bend the forks,_

_Smash the bottles,_

_And burn the corks!" _It wasn't long before everybody joined in Kili's song.

"_Chip the glasses, _

_And crack the plates!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth, _

_Tread the fat, _

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat,_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!  
Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a broiling bawl,_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole, _

_And when you've finished, if any are whole, _

_Send them down the hall to roll!  
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" _

It was quite amusing to see Bilbo's face as he stepped into the dining room. Instead off the mess he had expected the plates and bowls were stacked neatly on top of one another. The dwarves found this highly amusing too, they laughed heartily at Bilbo's expression… that is, until the door knocked. My heart jumped into my throat and I, as well as the dwarves, turned towards the door. Nobody made a move, until Gandalf spoke.

"He is here," He said, his voice slightly grim. He rose from his chair and walked towards the door. All I could hear was the clicking of the latch and the squeal as the door opened. I glanced around at the dwarves, all of them either had their eyes turned away from the door or their faces turned anywhere but the hallways. All of the merriment had faded in less than a second. Bilbo carefully walked towards the door and I followed him albeit cautiously. There, in the doorway was another dwarf. He looked younger than most of the others that were in the dining room, but older than Fili and Kili who I guessed had to be the youngest.

"I got lost- _twice._" He stated, undoing his cloak. "I wouldn't have found it if it wasn't for that mark on the door."

"What mark on the door?" I enquired.

"There is no mark on that door, I painted it last week!" Bilbo said, aghast.

"There is a mark," said Gandalf gently. "I put it there myself."

"Are we going to hear about the adventure now?" I asked, unable to stop the words spewing from my mouth. Gandalf chuckled.

"In due time, my dear." He spread his arms towards the dwarf that had just entered our home. "Bilbo and Rosa Baggins, may I introduce you to the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." If my jaw could have dropped any further than the floor it would have. Thorin Oakenshield, the rightful king of Erebor, son of Thrain, son of Thror! This is madness, complete madness.

"So," He said, stepping forwards and placing a hand on each of our shoulders. "These are the Hobbits…"

One thing I can certainly say about Thorin Oakenshield is that he is quick and straight to the point. He didn't even sit down like the others and eat; he didn't even touch a sip of ale. "Tell me Mr Baggins, have you done much fighting? Axe or sword as your weapon of choice?"

"Well I have some skill at conkers, if you must know." I couldn't hold back the snort that came from my mouth. Bilbo scowled at me, he was very proud of his skill at conkers. "I fail to see why… that's relevant."

"Thought as much, he looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin said, turning to me. "And you, Miss Baggins, have you done any fighting?"

I swallowed and shoved my hands into my pockets. "I- um… I haven't done much fighting per say… but my weapon of choice would be a sword… stabbing something when it is running at you with intent on doing some damage seems like a good idea." The dwarves chuckled, but I failed to see what was funny.

"Once again, more of a grocer than a burglar." Thorin turned from us and headed towards the dining room. Bilbo looked downcast; Gandalf merely smiled kindly and followed Thorin to the dining room.

This time I didn't follow them into the dining room. I stayed in the lounge with my feet curled under me, while I sat on the chair. Bilbo was stood close enough to the dining room so he could hear parts of what was going on, but close enough to me so we could talk. "From your slack-jawed expression earlier, I gather you know a little about Thorin Oakenshield."

"I'm surprised you haven't," I whisper. "Do you recall the stories of the Lonely Mountain?"

"I don't remember much about them… but you do, so you might as well tell me."

"I don't recall how long ago it was, but the Lonely Mountain wasn't so lonely once. Once, it was called Erebor, the greatest city of the dwarves… I suppose it's still called Erebor, but the Lonely Mountain name has stuck. Anyway, the dwarves the dug for miles under the mountain, harvesting gold and other jewels, but there was one jewel that outweighed all of the others… It was called the Arkenstone or the Kings jewel, as Thror the king at the time called it. One day, there was a foul wind and it tore and cracked the pines, a Dragon had come seeking the gold under the mountain. It was a Fire Drake from the north, his name was Smaug, and he broke into Erebor and took the mountain as his own. That's how the feud between the elves and the dwarves started, Thranduil the leader of the elves wouldn't risk his own kin for the dwarves and since then the elves have never come to the dwarves aid."

"-the reign of the beast will end." Bilbo turned from me and headed towards the dining room. I followed behind him.

"What beast?" I smacked my palm to my forehead, had we not just discussed said beast only moments ago?

"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, greatest calamity of our age." Bilbo was rubbing his hands together, like he usually did when he got nervous. "Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals."

"Yes we know what a dragon is." I but in, before Bilbo could say anything.

"I'm not afraid of it! I'll fight! I'll give him a taste of dwarvish iron, right up his jacksey!" There was a cheer and I chuckled at Ori's forwardness. But Ori was pulled down quickly.

"Sit down," one of the dwarves muttered.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen," noted Balin. "Not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."

"Hey, who are you calling dim?" The call rang out over the muttering that had burst up after Balin's comment. There was a clang as a mug was brought down upon the table, silencing the group.

"We may be few in number, but we are fighters! All of us! To the last dwarf!"

"And you forget that we have a wizard in our company! Gandalf would have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!" Kili exclaimed. I glance excitedly at Gandalf. Maybe I should call him dragon slayer from now on.

"Well now- I uh… wouldn't say…" Gandalf stuttered.

"How many then?" Asked a dwarf.

"What?"

"Yes, Gandalf, how many have you slayed?" I ask, earning a scathing look from the elderly wizard.

"How many dragons have you killed, Gandalf?" Asked another. Gandalf coughed on the smoke from his pipe, "Well go on! Give us a number!"

The yells that echoed around the room were loud and boisterous. Each dwarf yelled a number that he thought Gandalf had slayed. In reality I knew Gandalf had probably never even lifted a sword to a dragon. I jumped and covered my ears as Thorin yelled, silencing them all again.

"If we have read these signs don't you think others will have read them too?" No dwarf looked up from the table at Thorin's words. They looked ashamed. "Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the wealth of our people lays unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?" The noise erupted around the table, but there was one who was sitting solemnly. Balin glanced up and then raised his voice above the others.

"But the front gate is sealed; there is no way into the mountain."

"Actually, that isn't entirely true…" Said Gandalf, pulling a key from inside his grey robes. Thorin looked at the key and then to Gandalf, something told me he didn't expect the old wizard to have that in his position. There was something else, however, that was playing on my mind, other than the fact that these dwarves were going to face a dragon and take me and my brother with them. There was something I had read in one of my books…

"There's another way in!" Kili said excitedly, he smacked Fili on the back and smiled toothily.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong," I say, interrupting. "But aren't dwarf doors invisible when sealed?" There was a collective groan, and I immediately felt bad for mentioning it.

"Correct you are, Rosa." Said Gandalf, "This is why the task we are required to do involves a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and cleaver, I believe it can be done."

"That's why we need burglars!" Ori said, pointing at me and Bilbo. I swallowed, but I couldn't help the excitement that was building inside me. Bilbo looked a little clueless; he gripped his braces and studied the map.

"Hmm… and a good one too. An expert I would imagine."

"And are you?" Balin asked. Bilbo glanced back at me and I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Am I what?" Bilbo asked, I groaned at him.

"He said he's an expert!" One of the dwarves laughed. I opened my mouth to speak but Bilbo beat me to it.

"Me? Us? No, we're not burglars. We've never stole a thing in our lives." I placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder.

"Think about it," I whispered to him.

"Think about what? It's dangerous, Rosa. I can't believe your even consider-"

"Then I must agree with Mr Baggins," Balin interrupted my brothers rant easily. I looked down at the floor, bringing my eyes up only to see that Kili had been staring my way. "They're hardly burglar material."

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin commented.

"We can fend for ourselves just fine," I say, tuning to Bilbo. "Bilbo it's an adventure."

"But they're horrid-"

"Nasty things that make you late for supper. I know. But don't you think the world is better outside?" I turn and look at the dwarves who are all sitting around the table, "I've had enough of this, I won't argue with you, Bilbo."

I turn from the dining room, only just hearing Gandalf raise his voice to declare that we are burglars.

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**I hope that you are enjoying my fic. I hope to get chapter three up soon! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites!**

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I was glad to find that my book was still on the floor of the pantry. Although it was now covered with crumbs, and the smell of onions that I liked to read under was gone. I sat with my back up against the wall and dusted the crumbs from my book. I was angry with Bilbo. No, I was furious with him. He is so concerned about my safety; I wonder what happened to the Hobbit who cared nothing for his own safety and wellbeing. I wonder what happened to the Hobbit who trod mud into the carpet and said one day he would travel to the city of the elves. I opened my book, annoyed to see that someone had spilled ale so it had leaked through the pages… then again, I shouldn't have left it on the pantry floor in the first place… but then I didn't expect my house to be invaded by dwarves. From the pantry I couldn't hear what was going on in the dining room, but like earlier in the day I simply could not concentrate on my book. Instead my mind began playing scenarios of this adventure. I pictured the city of Erebor, dragon free and full of dwarves. I pictured the town of Dale, bright and prosperous on mid-summers eve. I pictured Gandalf's fireworks blasting over the mountain. But I also pictured the long road ahead… I saw goblins, and large monstrous trolls that ate anything they came across. Then I pictured Orcs, although I have never seen an Orc before they certainly look gruesome in my head. Scared, half sunk in faces, skin wrinkled and brown with dirt, red piercing eyes and sharp blackened teeth… swords that could slice a man in two.

A shadow blocks the light from the lamp in the hallway. I glance up, expecting it to be Bilbo, but instead I stare up at Kili. He has his arms crossed over his chest and he is staring down at me as if I am the most curious creature he has ever seen. "You've cleared out all the food," I mumble, flipping the book over in my hand.

"I know that," he chuckled. "I couldn't help but overhear you talking with your brother earlier. It seems you know quite a bit about our kin and our journey."

"Yes, well, I have nothing to do but read. So I have read a lot about Erebor." I expect that to be the end of our convocation, but Kili still stands as still as a statue at the entrance of the pantry.

"Are you with us?" He asked, shifting his weight slightly.

"Pardon?"

"On our quest, will you join us?" I push myself up off of the pantry floor and close my book. It had certainly crossed my mind to go… As soon as Bilbo had mentioned that Gandalf had appeared with the proposition of an adventure I felt the thirst for it stir in my veins. I want to go… I would love to see over the river and the hills of the Shire. But should I go? That's another question entirely. I'm sure Bilbo has already ruled himself out of the equation, and I couldn't go running off and leave him here. What would he think? What if I didn't come back? He'd be distraught, and the thought of hurting him pained me.

"Bilbo… is he going, on your quest?" I ask.

"He wouldn't sign the contract." Kili said glumly. Contract? There's a contract? A tiny bit of me wishes that I had stayed to read the contract, or at least see the look on Bilbo's face as he read it.

"I couldn't leave him… not knowing whether I would come back or not. It would crush him."

"We need a burglar."

"Then I am not the burglar you need." I say. "And nor is my brother… we're just Hobbits and we stay together, hidden away from the world. No matter how much it pains me to say it, that's how we should be… together. You and Fili are brothers, are you not?" He answers with a small nod. "Then you should understand my predicament… you two came together and you will stay together throughout this quest, you can't ask me to leave my brother."

"Won't you consider it, won't you hear our song?" He asks.

"A song?" A low hum starts in one of the rooms close by. It grows louder and louder as more voices join in. Kili looks at me expectantly and I nod. "I will hear your song."

I follow Kili towards the sound of humming. But I stop in the doorway of the lounge whereas Kili carries on till he stands by his brother. All thirteen dwarves are crammed in. They sit, their eyes downcast towards the floor, or on Thorin who stands by the fire smoking his pipe. The flames flicker and cast a dull light on the would-be king's face. His humming quietens but the others carry on, their hums rising together. They have sung this song before.

"_Far over the misty mountains, cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old. _

_We must away ere brake of day_

_To find our long forgotten gold_

_The pines were roaring, on the height_

_The winds were moaning, in the night. _

_The fire was red, its flaming spread;_

_The trees like torches blazed with light." _

I didn't realise when some voices joined with Thorin's because when one voice dropped into a song another hummed louder. The song was pained, their voices showed it. They wanted nothing more than to reclaim what was rightfully theirs and go home. I couldn't blame them for wanting this; if my home was taken from me I would do everything to get it back. My heart ached, and something inside me stirred. Longing, a longing to help them… but the pain of leaving Bilbo was still heavy on my heart.

I turned quickly and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Gandalf. He looked down, a knowing look in his eye. "Will you join us on this quest, Rosa Baggins of Bag End?"

"Only if Bilbo accompanies us too." I say quickly. Gandalf nods and then looks towards the door where my brother would now be behind.

"I have a feeling dear Bilbo will come around… and if he does not, by the time we reach the end of the Shire you may turn around and come back." I swallow and also look towards Bilbo's door.

"Gandalf, if Bilbo does change his mind… do you promise we will come back?"

"I cannot promise anything. Only an adventure unknown to any Hobbit." He smiles a little and I see the contract on the table. I take a deep breath and then pick up the contract.

"If he does not come I may leave…" Gandalf nods. "Then I will sign. I will accompany you on your quest." I place the contract down on the table and dab the quill into the ink pot, scrawling my name across the parchment I had it to Gandalf who then gives it to Balin. I can't help but smile when Kili cheers from where he is sat by the window.

"Well we have one burglar at least." Thorin said his voice still grim. "You should rest, little Hobbit. Tomorrow we will begin our journey."

* * *

I don't remember when I fell asleep. The last thing I remember was Balin telling us a story from years ago. I'm guessing the story was more for my benefit seen as the other dwarves had probably heard it all before. I had listened intently for the most part, even imagining the battles that he had spoken of. I even fell asleep with the images of soldiers dancing in the embers of the fire. But now there is a gentle hand on my shoulder. I open my eyes and glance around, the other dwarves are gone and it is Gandalf who shakes my shoulder. "The dawn has broken, young Hobbit. Our quest begins."

I didn't know what to pack. So I simply grabbed my rucksack and placed an old tin mug and my travelling cloak into it, as well as sleeping materials. Looking round I saw Bilbo's coat on the side and remembered the scones he had placed in there last night. I took them too, if he comes with us he will be glad I did. I glance around Bag End and towards Bilbo's door. When I leave, will I want to come back if he doesn't come through?

"Is all ready, Rosa?" Asked Gandalf, popping his head through the green door of Bag End. I looked back at him and then to the lounge before turning, a small smile on my face.

"Yes, I am ready." The door of Bag End creaked as I closed it. Turning towards the road I noticed that the dwarves were already saddled on their horses, prepared for the journey ahead.

I hurried down the steps after Gandalf and out of the gate. Dawn had only just broken, the sky gradually lightening but the sun was not yet visible in Hobbiton. The birds were tweeting in the forest and not a soul was outside.

"Give her a pony." Thorin said, nudging his horse so it would move on. I look up at the pony that had been lead towards me by none other than Fili and Kili. I wonder for a moment how on earth I am going to saddle the creature when Gandalf lifts me onto its back. I nearly yelp in surprise which causes Fili and Kili to laugh heartily. I scowl at them and look at the door of Bag End. A rock lands in my stomach as I nudge my pony forwards. I shouldn't be nervous or frightened, perhaps Bilbo won't turn up and I can make my way back.

"Shall we place bets on whether Mr Baggins will join us?" Bifur asks from up the front. I find it almost cruel that they are betting on whether Bilbo will join us. Most of them bet against him joining us. I did not bet, but Gandalf did, which surprised me. He thinks that Bilbo will join us, as do I.

I can safely say that I have never sat on anything as uncomfortable as a pony. By the time we had ventured halfway into East Farthing Woods my backside was extremely numb. Although, it was quite exciting to be riding a pony… but I would like to be able to ride a horse, just like my great, great, great, great Uncle. He knocked the Goblin kings head clean off his shoulders in one of his battles.

"Have you enjoyed your adventure thus far?" I snapped out of my wonderings as Fili and Kili rode next to me on their horses.

"Of course, I've never ventured this far before. Why do you ask?"

"It looks like we'll be losing our burglar if your brother doesn-"

"Wait! Wait!"

"Bilbo?" I almost yelled, turning around so fast that I nearly fell off the pony. Kili chuckled as he grabbed onto my arm to steady me. I couldn't believe it, but there he was right before my eyes, running with the contract in his hand. Gandalf… that cheeky devil left the contract with him… The horses slowed to a stop and every dwarf astride their horses turned to see Bilbo. Gandalf had a glint in his eye.

"I've signed it," Bilbo said breathlessly. He handed the contract to Balin who checked it over quickly. Bilbo smiled up at me and I returned it.

"Looks like you're not losing your burglar after all," I smile at Fili and Kili. "In fact I think you've just gained another one."

"Everything seems to be in order… Welcome, Mr Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

"Get him a pony." Thorin said, causing me to chuckle. Bilbo protested and said he would walk, but no sooner had he said that, Fili and Kili had pulled him up onto the nearest pony. I chuckled as Bilbo led the pony forwards; he has never looked more uncomfortable in his life. Fili and Kili had urged their ponies on a little, leaving Bilbo able to ride alongside me.

The silence between us was slightly awkward; neither of us was willing to speak. I turned towards my brother, he looked worried and I doubt it was the journey but the pony he was riding on. I bit back a laugh, but he noticed.

"What's so funny?" He asked, glancing around.

"You look so uncomfortable," I laugh. "What made you change your mind?" I ask.

"What made you leave?" He countered.

"That's not fair, I asked you first."

"I think you owe me an answer." He sounded mad; he's never used that tone with me before. "You just left… you didn't even say goodbye. All I saw was your name on that contract, not even a note to say you had left."

"Bilbo, I made a deal with Gandalf. If you hadn't have come by the time we reached the end of the Shire I would have turned around and come straight back."

"That's not the point." He snapped, urging his pony forwards, towards Gandalf.

I drop my head, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I blink them away. It suddenly occurs to me that I may have been selfish… no more than selfish. I left, without dropping him a note… I didn't even say goodbye. What if he has just come on this adventure because of my selfishness? What would my mother think? For the love of Took she would be ashamed of me. She'd always taught us to stick together, no matter what, and I ignore what she has taught us to go running off with some dwarves. I had given Bilbo an ultimatum… and that isn't fair. No wonder he is mad at me. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't talk to me for the duration of this journey. I need to smack my head against something… perhaps that will knock some sense into me? But I doubt getting off my pony to smack my head against a tree is something that a person with a sane mind would do. So I settle with rubbing my eyes to banish the tears that had once again gathered there.

I glance up at the sound of coinage jingling. The money from the bets was being thrown around. Bilbo glances around at me, but when no sack of money is thrown in my direction he turns away, his expression stony. If only he knew that I refused to bet on him. The sack of coins landed in Gandalf's hand, I heard him chuckle. I look back down at my pony and pat her mane.

"Why the long face?" I almost jump out of my skin at the voice, for I thought that he was ahead with his brother.

"How long have you been there, Kili?" I ask, turning to face him.

"Not long, maybe a few minutes."

"But you were-"

"Up there with Fili, I know. But a lady shouldn't travel by herself… there may be bandits on the road." He added with a whisper. I laugh at this. Bandits in the Shire, I highly doubt that. But then again, this is the furthest I have been from home in my life; my eyes involuntarily scan the tree line.

"How kind of you," I say. "But no bandits would be able to handle me." Kili let out a howl of laugher at my words; I glance up at the company. Fili had turned towards us with a smirk on his face.

"How would you fend them off with no weapon?" He questioned.

"I don't know… maybe pull their hair; it used to work on Bilbo when we were young." I didn't think my statement was that funny, but Kili seemed to think it was, he was laughing so much I thought he would fall from his horse.

"Here," He said, reaching to unsheathe a dagger from his belt. "If we do encounter bandits you can do more than pull their hair."

I shake my head quickly. "I couldn't take it, it's yours."

"I know." He said, pulling my left hand from the rein of my pony and placing the dagger into it, "And I am giving it to you."

"Thank you…" I say, gripping the hilt of the dagger. I hoped to Took that he couldn't see the redness in my cheeks.

* * *

If I thought being on the pony was uncomfortable to start off with it was practically unbearable by the time night fell. I was so glad when Thorin declared that we would stop for that night, I leapt from the pony so fast I fell on my backside. It earned a hearty laugh from the whole of the company, except Thorin, who merely rolled his eyes.

The camp was just on a hillside, a rather steep and rocky hillside. From the camp we could see for miles, but all that was in those miles were trees. I unpacked my sleeping roll and lay it down quite far away from the edge of the rock that fell away into the trees below. Somehow I wouldn't like taking a tumble off that thing in my sleep.

"Get a fire going," Thorin ordered. In moments logs had been gathered and a small fire was burning in the centre of the camp. Bombur was already getting out the bacon and soon the smell wafted over from the fire.

I noticed that Bilbo was sitting close to the edge of the camp, so I left my things where they were and walked over to join him. I didn't like the silence that had grown between us. I sat down next to him, my feet dangling over the edge. Bilbo was looking out at the sun which was just disappearing behind the trees.

"I didn't bet against you." I say gently, turning my head to face him. "I didn't bet on you at all. Do you know why?" Silence. It was nothing more than I expected. "I didn't bet on you because I don't need to bet money on something I knew I would have won. I believe in you, Bilbo. Always. Nothing will change that."

"I was going to wake you up, you know." He said, quietly. "To tell you that I was going… I knew you would want to go too. I was angry before, but I know now that you always wanted to see the world and I can't stop you."

"So you only came because of me." I say.

"No, I came because I wanted to see the world _with _you. You didn't make me run out of the door, I made the decision myself." A small smile graced my lips at his words. The rift between us had been mended in a few sentences, and I was glad.

"I heard you fainted." I chuckle, nudging his arm.

"Did you read the contract? Incineration! Think oven with wings they said." I snorted at him, shaking my head and hiccupping because I had laughed so much.

"Oh, I read the contract. One fifteenth of the total profit. That seemed-"

"Fair, that's what I said."

"But I don't want the money. Don't you think the journey is enough?" Bilbo chuckled.

"If I lose an arm I might want the money."

"Young Hobbits," Said Gandalf from by the fire. "Your supper is ready."

Bacon never smelt so good.

* * *

**This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but the next one will be longer, i swear on the line of Durin. Anyway, should be getting to the trolls in the next chapter... which should be fun! **


	4. Chapter 4

"What was that?" I whisper, snapping my eyes open and glancing around the camp. The howl had ripped me from my sleep, but it had not bothered Bombur, who swallowed quite a few moths in a snore. I couldn't believe that most of the dwarves were still asleep. A select few were still awake. Fili and Kili sat with their backs up against the wall, the flames from the fire throwing shadows on their faces. Thorin was stood at the edge of the camp, staring out over the forest below us. Gandalf and Balin were sat to the left of Fili and Kili. I glanced towards Bilbo's sleeping place. Seeing the covers thrown back, I panicked as another howl tore through the silence.

"Bilbo!" I whispered, worriedly. Sighing when he wandered back from the ponies, worry in his eyes. I sat up, my cover still wrapped tightly around my shoulders.

"What was that?" He asked, actually earning an answer, where I did not.

"Orcs," Kili said, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"Orcs," My voice came out as a squeak. My mind wandered as I scanned the tops of the trees below us. Just thinking those things were down there made me shudder. My fingers found the hilt of the blade that Kili had given me earlier.

"Orcs," Bilbo repeated, scampering over towards the fire as if that would protect him from the monsters that lurked below us. He certainly sounded more worried than I did.

"Throat-cutters," Said Fili. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep," added Kili. "Quick and quiet, no screams, just lots of blood." I swallowed, my eyes still wandering across the treetops and towards the path we had followed to get to camp. Two very similar chuckles made my head turn. Fili and Kili were attempting to hide their laughter.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin's voice cut through their laughter. "You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it," Kili said, his voice low.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin stalked past the fire and towards the other edge of the camp. He stopped just at the edge of the pathway, and stared out over the lowlands.

"Don't mind him, laddie." Balin said. "Thorin has more cause than most, to hate Orcs." Kili still had his head turned towards the ground, but Fili was now listening intently. I turned to face Balin who no doubt going to begin a story. I tugged the cover tighter around myself, the howl of the Orc sounded again.

"After the dragon took the lonely mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by a legion of Orcs, led by the most vile of all their race. Azok the Defiler." An image of the most grotesque Orc I could ever imagine crossed my mind. Terrible scars littered its body, red sunk in eyes… "The giant had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began… by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know… We we're leaderless, defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw _him_." Balin glanced towards Thorin, who was standing watchful over the lowlands, his hands clasped behind his back. "A young dwarf prince, facing down the Pale Orc… He stood alone. His armour bent, wielding nothing but an old oaken branch as a shield… Azok the Defiler learned that day, that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied, and drove the Orcs back, our enemy had been defeated."

I glance over at Thorin, who stands silhouetted against the light of the moon and the fire. The death he has seen… His grandfather and his father dead, killed by Orcs. I wouldn't blame him for hating them, especially Azok. If someone would have beheaded my father, I certainly would have wanted to kill them.

"But there was no feast," Balin continued. "No song that night, for our dead was beyond the count of grief. We few had survived and I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one, who I could call King." When Thorin turned, we were all looking at him, the admiration showed in every single dwarf. Even I admired him somewhat.

"And the Pale Orc," Bilbo said, asking the question that I was thinking. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole from whence he came," Thorin muttered, walking back into the camp. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

The camp then became silent once more. The sound of the Orcs had died out during Balin's tale, and Balin's tale had silenced us all. The wind blew through the trees below us, whistling around the rock. That night I dreamt of the Pale Orc, holding a once king's head.

* * *

I was tired when I awoke, or rather when Bilbo woke me. My bones were sore from sleeping on the hard ground, and my dreams had me tossing and turning all night. As if sleep deprivation wasn't enough, the ride on my pony was less than comfortable. My thighs were already aching from yesterday's travels, but now at every bump they ached and stung. I wish that I had more experience on horseback, that way, perhaps it wouldn't hurt as much.

It was around mid-day that the rain began. It began and it didn't stop. I tightened my travelling cloak and shivered, my hair stuck to my face and the water dripped down my cheeks. I glanced at Bilbo; he was soaked to the skin, as were the rest of us. The mud under the pony's feet was squelching with every step, it was unstable and steep descents caused Minty, my pony, to slip and slide all over the place.

"Blast this weather," I curse; wiping my nose on the handkerchief I had stuffed in my pocket.

"'Ere, Mr Gandalf, can't you do something about this accursed rain?" Dori yelled, from near the front.

"It is raining, Master dwarf." Gandalf said, seemingly undeterred by the weather. "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world you should find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" Asked Bilbo.

"What?"

"Any other wizards?" I strained to hear Gandalf's answer over the patter of the rain. I sneezed into my handkerchief, inwardly cursing.

"There are five of us," Gandalf commented, turning back momentarily to glance at Bilbo. "The greatest of our order is Sauroman, the White. Then there are the two blue wizards… do you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"Who is the fifth?" I ask, throwing my voice so Gandalf could hear it.

"Well that would be Radagast, the Brown."

"Is he a great wizard?" Bilbo asked. "Or is he more like you?" I reach across from my pony and smack Bilbo on the back of the head; from behind us I hear Fili and Kili laugh. I send Bilbo a _don't be so rude_ look as Gandalf replies.

"I think he is a _very_ great wizard." He said, matter-of-factly. "In his own way. He's a gentle soul, who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps an eye over the vast forest lands to the east, and a good thing too, because evil will always try to find a foothold in this world."

For a moment I imagine a raggedy old wizard dressed entirely in brown running through the forest, animals at his side. He would live in a tree and depend on the land around him to tell him the news of the world. He would be one of those people you could never forget if you saw him.

"Daydreaming, are we?" Asked Fili who had rode up next to me with his brother.

"Only about a wizard who lives in trees and talks to animals, you know, I'd imagine him to be a rather strange fellow." I muse.

"Well I would too, if he lived in a tree." Replied Fili.

"Some elves live in trees," I offer.

"And you know exactly how _we_ feel about elves," Kili smirked. I shake my head at them and brush a strand of hair from my face.

"Oh, I wish this rain would just stop!" I mutter, as the stray piece of hair falls back into my eyes. "Have you even met an elf before?"

"No," They said together. "And I don't think I want to," Finished Kili.

"Besides, I've heard they only eat vegetables and sing all the time." Fili said, patting his horse that had just whinnied at the uneven ground.

"From what I've seen _you _sing all the time,"

"Yes, but we sing merry things. It's all flutes and harps with the elves," Said Kili, pretending to place a flute to his lips and play it. I chuckle at him; only just catching the look Fili cast him.

"I thought flutes and harps were merry."

"Yes but it's nothing like playing the teapot," Fili says. I laugh heartily this time, remembering Bifur playing the teapot to Kili's song back in Bag End.

When the rain stopped I was surprised at the suddenness of it. But I was even more surprised when Thorin ordered us to stop before the sun had fallen from the sky. There was a house close to where the horses stopped, you could see into it from every angle and there was a large gaping hole in the roof. The shingles lay scattered around the structure and stray rocks littered the area further around the house.

"We'll camp here for the night," Thorin declared. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

I clamber down from my pony, a little more gracefully than I had done yesterday. At least this time I managed to stay on my feet. I pat Minty on the nose and lead her over to where Kili was tethering Bilbo's pony, Myrtle, to a tree. I take the rope that is attached to Minty's saddle and tie it tightly around the nearest tree to Myrtle.

I glance around at our camp; the others had already started to collect wood for a fire. Bombur and Bilbo were unloading the food and Gandalf and Thorin were talking in the wreckage of the old house. The land around us was mostly green, a large thicket of trees lay just beyond where I had tied Minty and in front of us lay a moss covered rock face that we would find our way around at first light.

"Everything alright, Gandalf?" I turned at Bilbo's voice, almost bumping into Kili who was busy tying Bungo to the next tree. "Where are you going?"

"I seek the only company of the only person around here who has got any sense." Gandalf muttered, heading back the way we came.

"And who is that?"

"Myself, Master Baggins!" He shouted, not bothering to look back at a startled Bilbo. He passed me and Kili and then headed up towards the rock side muttering something about the stubbornness of dwarves. Wait, where is he going? He can't just leave us. Maybe he is just going to sit up on the rock side for a bit. If he seeks his own company he only wishes to be alone. He won't go far… will he?

"Don't worry," Kili said, noticing my gaze on the retreating back of the old wizard. "He'll come back."

I sat with Fili and Kili whilst the sun descended. I listened to their tales from their homeland and in turn I explained what it was like to live in the Shire. My stories definitely weren't as interesting as theirs, but they did laugh heartily when I explained how I spilt a half full bowl of soup down the front of old Terence Proudfoot at the midsummers eve party last year. That was something I do not wish to repeat, he still gives me horrid looks if I pass him on the road. As it became dark the smell of stew wafted down from the camp, I offered to head up and gather their stews for them, so I left them to their devices and headed to camp.

When I traipse into the camp Bifur is dishing out the food, and of course, Bilbo is fretting about Gandalf. "He's been an awfully long time."

"He's a wizard, he does as he chooses." Said Bifur, handing two bowls of stew to Bilbo. "Here, do us a favour and take this to the lads." In turn he passes me my own and I walk with Bilbo back down to where Fili and Kili are sitting watching the ponies. Only, when we get there, they are not sitting watching the ponies at all, they're standing looking rather worried at them.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked, two pots of stew still in his hands.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies," Kili muttered.

"Only, we've encountered a slight problem…" Added Fili.

"We had sixteen,"

"Now we have fourteen." I do a quick add up of all the ponies and there is indeed only fourteen.

"How did you lose two ponies?" I ask.

"We didn't lose them, they we're tied to the tree." Kili said, going round them and naming them all.

"Well they're not now." I say, heading towards the edge of the trees and looking as far as I could see for them.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing," Kili announced.

"I did not tie Daisy to the tree." Said Fili,

"We'll neither did I," I say, after Fili looked over at me.

"Well that is not good." Interrupted Bilbo, "That is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"No!" All three of us said together, I would have laughed at the comedic looks our faces but this was not the time for laughing. Thorin will go mad if he realised we've lost Daisy and Bungo.

"Let's not worry him," Fili added. "As our official burglars we thought you might like to look into it."

"Well- uh- it looks like something _big_ uprooted these trees." That was certainly an understatement. The roots on those trees were huge, so that means something _massive_ ripped up the trees.

"Well that was our thinking," Said Kili.

"Something _very _big and possibly quite dangerous." I follow Bilbo round to the tree, and look at the destroyed roots.

"Hey, there's a light." Fili said, crouching behind another uprooted tree. I turned to face the direction Fili was looking and sure enough, a dim yellow light could be seen.

Together the four of us moved further into the trees. Bilbo still carried the two stews; mine lay forgotten on the floor. Halfway towards the light we dropped down behind another fallen tree, a deep laugh could be heard booming where the light resided. "What is it?" Bilbo asked.

"Trolls," Kili said, my eyes widened as I stared back towards the light. The two scrambled off into the trees at the mention of the word. I looked at Bilbo and then we hopped over the tree and followed after them. Fili and Kili had ducked behind another tree, but Bilbo and I didn't make it that far. Deep rumbling thumps coming from beside us made us hide behind the closest tree. Turning my head around the tree I saw the huge troll that uprooted the trees, he carried another two ponies in his grasp. Minty was one of them!

We stayed behind the tree until the troll had fumbled far enough away from us that we wouldn't be seen. "They've got Myrtle,"

"And Minty," I finish Bilbo's sentence.

"I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something!"

"Yes!" Said Kili, jumping up from his hiding place. "You should." He pushed Bilbo forwards while Fili explained that trolls are slow and stupid.

"You're so small, they'll never see you." Said Kili, "It's perfectly safe, we'll be right behind you." Perfectly safe? What would be perfectly safe about walking into a troll camp and freeing our horses?

"If you run into trouble hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl." Fili pushed Bilbo out from behind the trees. I was about to follow him but Kili pulled me back.

"Don't go," he said quickly. "If the two of you go they'll surely see you."

"What? No. You can't expect me to let him go by himself." I say urgently, watching as he disappears into the bushes.

"It's perfectly safe,"

"What is _perfectly safe _about walking into a troll camp?" I hiss quietly. Bilbo had completely disappeared from view now; my heart was pumping a mile a minute. "If it's perfectly safe then let me go." Kili looked from me to the light. Every second I stood here Bilbo was getting closer to danger.

"I can't." He said.

"That's what I thought." I say quietly, "I've told you before, he is my brother. We go together or not at all. Go and get Thorin if you are so worried." I pull from his grip and run of through the brush, just barely catching the whisper of a 'Shut up!' sent Fili's way.

I quieten my steps the closer I get to the troll camp. I slide behind a tree and pop my head round the bark. There in the clearing are three huge trolls sitting round a campfire. The troll carrying Myrtle and Minty drops them into a small rope and stick made pen, they whinny and stamp there hooves, terrified. Then, off to the left I see Bilbo, making his way round the back of one of the trolls. For the love of a Took, Bilbo, what are you thinking? I follow silently, my hand reaching for the small knife Kili had given me; it might not be much, but it will buy Bilbo some time if things go wrong. So far he was doing well, he had not made a sound, and the Trolls still remained unaware of his presence behind them, until that glint appeared in his eye when he saw the blade attached to the closest Trolls side.

I had to fight the urge to yell 'Bilbo Baggins, don't you be so stupid!' but that would have given my position away and possibly have put Bilbo in more danger than he was already in. I moved closer, breaking past the line of trees and into the tall shrubbery, Bilbo was so close to the Troll now, his hand reaching out to take the knife…

I didn't even have time to gasp. The Troll that Bilbo had been trying to acquire the knife from had reached behind him, presumably for his handkerchief, and snatched Bilbo with it. My brother was lifted towards the face of the beast before being sneezed on.

The noise that came from the Troll could have been laughed at, if not for the severity of the situation. "Blimey! Bert! Bert! Look what's come out of me hooter!" I watched as the two Trolls gathered round their companion, surveying the snot covered Bilbo. "It's got arms and legs and everything!"

"What is it?" The other asked, as Bilbo squirmed in their grasp. My hand twisted around the hilt of my knife… If I go running in there now it will be useless, I'll only cause more harm than good… Bilbo was thrown to the floor violently, he gasped as the wind left him, I started forwards but my mind held me back. _Wait, wait just a moment… _it pressed.

"What are you then?" Asked the first Troll, pointing something that looked identical to a filleting knife at Bilbo.

"I'm a Burglar- Uh- Hobbit." Bilbo said correcting himself.

"A burglarhobbit?"

"Can we cook him?"

"We can try!" Their voices turned sinister and something inside me snapped.

"No you most certainly cannot!" I hissed running from the undergrowth to where Bilbo was being chased by the Trolls. "Bilbo!" I yelled, "Bilbo! This way! Hurry!"

My knife was drawn, but now running into the path of these beasts didn't seem like a very good idea at all. The ground rumbled as a foot came down in front of me and I squeaked. "Look, Tom. Another burglarhobbit!" A grotesque hand reached down towards me but I ducked and ran between its legs.

"Bilbo!" I yelled, glancing round in the dark, I could not see him but a glance up at the other Trolls meant that a lump settled in my stomach. Bilbo was held aloft by the beast. I instinctively ran forwards, "Put him down, you brute!" I cried, ready to slash at the ankles of the beast that captured my brother.

I tumbled however, when a hand grasped my leg and pulled me into the air. The ground fell away and I yelled out in fright. Still dangling with my head towards the ground I yelled out, "Put me down! Put _us _down, or so help me I'll-"

"Look, Bert. This one's a girl burglarhobbit." I was righted and twisted round to face the beast. This Troll was probably the ugliest of the lot. Its cheeks were sagged with fat, the skin covering him grey and leathery, its nose was squashed into its face and its eyes bulged unnaturally from their sockets.

"You're right, William." I squirmed as the grip around my waist tightened, "I haven't had a _girl _in a while."

"So…" Said the other Troll, Bert, I think. "Are there any other of you little fellas hiding around here?"

"No," Bilbo and I said together, a little too quickly.

"They're lying," William growled, tightening the grip even further if that was possible, I felt the pain build under my ribs.

"No we're not!" Bilbo said, quickly. His head turning to face me. I yelped as William thrust me towards Bilbo.

"What if we hold his toes over the fire, will you tell us then?"

"No!" I yelled, feebly struggling to loosen the grip around my waist that was becoming unbearable. "There are no others! I swear! Just don't hurt him, please!" I felt the tears sting my eyes, as William loosened his grip. The air rushed back into my lungs, burning my throat on the way down.

"Make him squirm!" Ordered Tom.

"No!"

There was a cry, something between an angered yell and a battle howl. Then I was swung forwards, attempting to cover my ears from the shrill yell that William screeched. The floor rushed forwards at a dizzying rate, but I was pulled back again right up close to Williams smashed in face. What was going on underneath me I could not see, but William wailed again and the sound of metal slicing skin echoed in my ears. William staggered and the ground rushed upwards, somehow I wasn't flattened by the beast's giant hand.

"Drop them!" The yell was quite clear and I recognised it immediately. Kili.

"You what?" Tom asked menacingly.

"I said, drop them!" William's grip was still tight around my waist as he stood; he made no move to drop me. My head pivoted as Bilbo was launched towards Kili at an alarming rate, they hit the floor with a thud and I couldn't help the cry that came from me. I swivelled and squirmed, inwardly cursing that I had allowed the blade to fall from my grasp. Throwing all the hygiene I had learnt from my mother to the wind I leant forwards and sank my teeth into the skin of my captor.

I was proud at the yelp that I had learnt but the panic grew as I was flung through the air and onto the ground. Took knows how I had missed the stampede of dwarves running through the trees to attack the trolls. I scrambled up quickly, my head spinning in all directions, firstly for Bilbo, and secondly for my knife. I was stationary for only a moment when a troll foot came down next to me and I jumped forwards to stay clear. The dwarves were yelling, the Trolls were roaring and glinting over at the far side of the camp, the firelight reflected on the blade, was my knife. I ran forwards, dodging and ducking both Trolls and Dwarves, the dirt squelched under my feet and I slid to the floor, snatching up my blade and turning to the battle. I have no idea what to do, the dwarves seemed to be doing extremely well by themselves but I had to look for Bilbo. Amidst the clang and crash of swords I heard the stampede of horse hooves and looked over at the makeshift paddock. There, just barely, I could see Bilbo, and it seemed I was not the only one. One of the Trolls had managed to escape the initial battle, the other two keeping my companions wrapped up in the fight.

I started forwards, "Bilbo! Bilbo, look out!" But I couldn't be heard over the noise. The wind was knocked out of me instantly, and I hit the floor, the blow from the hand of the troll making it hard to breathe. A hand reached out towards me and I took it. As I was pulled to my feet I heard the roar of the beasts and glanced up at them.

"Bilbo!" Kili yelled, his sword still drawn ready to attack. A hand firmly on my shoulder kept me in place, just as the hands of those giants kept my brother suspended in mid-air.

"No!" Thorin said, grabbing Kili and pulling him back.

"Lay down your arms," The troll began, "Or we'll rip his off." I had never seen such fear written on my brothers face, never in my whole life. My blade slipped from my hand and clattered on the floor. I saw Ori look down at the ground then back at his slingshot. That is when Thorin slammed his sword into the dirt, immediately twelve other weapons followed. Kili threw his sword to the ground with more anger than the others, Ori followed his lead, his slingshot bouncing as it hit the floor.

"Build the fire boys," Said one of the Trolls, dropping Bilbo's arms and leaving him to the other Troll who promptly shoved him into a potato sack. "We'll feast tonight." My breath stopped in my throat as the three trolls sauntered towards us.

* * *

There are several things that I have never wanted to experience in my entire existence. Being shoved into a potato sack is one of them. There are several reasons why: they itch, they smell and they mean that we are going to be eaten very soon. I don't want to be eaten and I am sure nobody else does.

With the string of the potato sacks tied tightly so we cannot escape I am unable to reach over to Bilbo, who lies but a few feet from me. Several of the dwarves are tied up on some makeshift spit; they are not in potato sacks. I suppose there is no need for them to be. The rest of them are on the ground with me and Bilbo, struggling and squirming to break free from their woven prisons, it is no use.

I try not to think about the idea of my impending death. If being held over a fire and being slowly roasted wasn't enough, if these Trolls got impatient they would just scoff us whole. The sound of my bones cracking between their rotten teeth made my skin crawl. I hope that I don't look as frightened as I feel. Bilbo has always been better at hiding his emotions than I have, and right now he only looks the tiniest bit frightened. I, however, am shaking and I hope that nobody can see, the only person who looks as half as frightened as I do is Ori. I briefly wonder whether Gandalf is alright, wherever he is. I hope that he hasn't run into anything like we have, although I am sure he can handle himself. But then again, I thought _we_ could handle ourselves.

"Don't bother cooking it," Said one of the Trolls. "Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly." I thought back to the moment I was held in the crushing grip of William. The pain was unbearable, so being sat on by these brutes would definitely be worse.

"They should be sautéed and grilled, with a sprinkle of sage."

"That does sound quite nice," It may have sounded nice for them, but all I could imagine was being thrown into a frying pan and cooked till my skin was all red and blistered. The dwarves were still arguing amongst themselves, struggling against their restraints, they had certainly not given up.

"Never mind the seasoning. We haven't got all night, dawns not far away. Let's get a move on, I don't fancy being turned to stone."

Dawn. Surely they wouldn't be able to cook us all before dawn? But they don't have to cook us; they'd just eat us raw I suppose. Despite that, dawn was the only thing we could hope for. But the night is still black; I can't even see a tint of colour in the sky.

"Wait!" Bilbo exclaimed, my head whipped around to see him struggling to his feet. "You are making a terrible mistake."

"You can't reason with them!" One of the dwarves yelled from the spit. "They're halfwits."

"Halfwits? What does that make us?" Ignoring their argument Bilbo stood and hopped over towards the fire.

"I meant with the- uh- seasoning."

"What do you mean about the seasoning?"

"Well, have you smelt them?" All three Troll heads turned towards us, "You're going to need something a lot stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." What is he doing? Almost immediately cries of outrage came from every dwarf, 'Traitor' was thrown around a lot.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" Said the Troll turning the spit.

"Shut up! Let the hubburglarhobbit talk." Bilbo inclined his head towards the Troll that allowed him to speak.

"The secret to cooking dwarf is to- um-"

"Yes? Come on?"

"Yes- is to- uh- Yes. The secret is to… skin them first!" Bilbo added at the last moment. Skin them first! The yells came thick and fast, once again 'Traitor' was batted back and forth.

"Tom, get my filleting knife." I shuddered at the thought of the knife Bilbo had tried to grab slicing through skin. I could almost feel the sting of the metal running over my body.

"What a load of rubbish! I've ate plenty with their skins on! Scoff 'em I say, boots and all."

"He's right," The ground rumbled as the closest Troll walked over to us. "Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf!" A hand reached down towards us and Bombur was snatched from the pile. "Nice and crunchy!" Bombur was yelling, dangled over the Trolls mouth, there were cries coming from all over the camp.

"Not that one! He's… Infected!" Bilbo yelled suddenly. "He's got worms… in his… tubes!" Bombur was released in disgust, dropped onto the pile again. "In fact they all have, they're all infested with parasites! It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't."

"We don't have parasites! You have parasites!"

Their shouts were cut short. I still stared up at the Trolls who were contemplating whether to actually eat us. "I've got parasites as big as my arm!"

"Mine are the biggest parasites! I've got _huge_ parasites!"

"We're riddled with them!"

The troll tuning the spit stopped suddenly, a smirk on his face. He thundered over towards Bilbo and stopped just before him, my heart leaped into my throat. "What about this one then?" I cried out as the Troll snatched me from the ground and held me up for all to see. "Girls don't have parasites. So we can eat this one boys!"

"No! Wait! I have more parasites than the lot of them!" I yelled desperately, struggling against the potato sack and the grip of the Troll.

"Didn't you hear us? We _all _have parasites!" Yelled Bilbo desperately. I wanted to be able to see him, to tell him that it was going to be alright, the pain in his voice was unbearable.

"Don't you think I know what you're doing? This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?" The Troll turned, taking me with him. "We should take this one back to the cave before dawn arrives."

"No! I have parasites! I swear I do!" The panic in my voice rose at the thought of being taken away from Bilbo. The yells from the others were almost drowned out in my ears at the thought of being taken away from him. The thought of losing him was too strong to bear. I squeezed my eyes shut, fear taking over every nerve in my body. This is the end.

"The dawn shall take you all!" I snapped my eyes open and tried to pivot myself so I could see where Gandalf was standing but I could only just see the smallest of light creeping over the copse of trees.

"Who's that?"

"No idea."

"Can we eat him too?" A loud crack sounded from behind me, the squeal of the Trolls rumbling in my ears.

One moment I was in the air, the next the grip of the Troll had loosened and I slipped through its palm. The wind rushed through my ears and the ground collided with my back, knocking the air from my lungs. My eyes found the sky, changing slightly from navy to reds and oranges. Then they found the stone forms of the three Trolls, cracked and grainy. My breath was coming in ragged gasps. My mind only thinking one coherent thought.

We are safe. We are alive.

* * *

**I am going to apologize now, because this has taken forever for me to upload and i don't think it is as good as i hoped it would be. But i suppose you guys will tell me that. **

**I will hopefully be including more of the book in the next chapter, so that should help *I hope* **

**Anyway, drop me a review and let me know what you think! :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Firstly i want to thank each and every person who has read, followed, favorited and reviewed to my story. It really means a lot and i hope you are enjoying it so far :) ****  
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* * *

I had never before watched the sunrise on my back. Although, given the fact that I was tied in a potato sack, unable to move meant that I could do nothing but watch the sunrise on my back. I had managed to calm my breathing to slow deep breaths and tried not to look up at the immobile forms of the now stone trolls. From the side I heard the grumbles and moans of my companions as they were cut loose from their sacks, then the hurried pounding of feet that signalled Bilbo was making his way over. He slid down next to me; his face panicked as he looked my face over and tried to quickly undo the bindings that kept me tangled in the potato sack. He tugged and pulled at the rope, finally untying the knots so I could wriggle free. I pushed myself up so I was sitting, making Bilbo lean backwards on his knees, and without hesitation or thought I flung my arms around his neck and pulled him close, feeling comforted as he wrapped his arms around my back.

"Don't you dare do _anything _so foolish and stupid and completely Tookish again." I whispered, bunching the fabric of his shirt in my fist. "I thought you were going to die."

He chuckled, it was a soft chuckle and it added to the comfort of being able to hold him. "You thought _I_ was going to die, that thing had already mentally eaten you."

"I know but… I don't know what I would have done if it had killed you… You're my best friend." I had never felt so vulnerable before. I had always told Bilbo I loved him, but I had never before given his death a thought. I had never really had cause to. But now the thought occurred to me that one, or perhaps both, of us may not return from this adventure and I simply cannot bear the thought of it being Bilbo who is killed and I who is left alone.

"And you're my best friend," Bilbo added, pulling back from the hug so I could stand. The other dwarves had gotten out of their sacks and were watching our exchange out of the corners of their eyes.

"Yes, this is all very heart warming," muttered Thorin from by the edge of the clearing. "But I would like to investigate this cave that these _things_ were talking about. So, if you would please hurry along."

It was obvious that Thorin was displeased at how we had almost had them all killed. Bilbo and I traipsed over to the rest of the dwarves, trying our best to ignore the scrutinizing gaze of Thorin Oakenshield.

Fili and Kili were dusting themselves down and shoving their swords into their sheathes. The others were doing the same. I glanced back over my shoulder, Thorin and Gandalf were conversing very quietly, the old wizard had a smirk on his face.

"Are you two alright?" I ask, directing my comment to Fili and Kili. They looked up, smirked and nodded, "Sorry, we aren't exactly the best burglars."

"You we're brave though." Said Fili. "While we were figuring out how to attack we heard everything."

"Any other girl would have screamed and cried at the top of their lungs." Said Kili, smiling. "Not that you didn't yell when the brute was about to eat you, that was understandable."

"You did quite a fair bit of yelling yourself," I say, my ears burning slightly from the half-compliment.

"Fili! Kili! Scout ahead, look for any sign of tracks." The pair nodded and I turned my head back over to Thorin who was staring unappreciatively in my direction.

"Are you coming?" Kili asked. I shook my head.

"No, I don't think I should. Thorin doesn't look too pleased with me or Bilbo right now… I wouldn't want to mess anything else up." I chuckle lightly and step backwards towards Bilbo. "Go ahead, find us a Troll cave."

The pair went off into the trees. Bilbo and I were left with the others; they gathered their weapons which had been strewn about the camp. Bifur, Bofur and Bombur headed up towards our camp and gathered the rest of our belongings. Bilbo left to talk with Gandalf so I wandered amongst the stone forms of the Trolls. In most ways they looked better as stone giants. If somebody was to wander into the Trollshaw and stumble upon these forms they may think that a skilled carver had sliced them from stone. The fact that their forms were cracked and crumbling from attempting to move out of the sun's rays, added to this effect. If I had found these statues I would have thought that a carver had created them a long time ago and that the forest had simply sprouted up around them, the trees growing ever taller to shield them from the sun.

I broke from my musings as Fili and Kili wandered back into the clearing, they spoke to Thorin quickly and then Thorin's voice rose over the once Troll camp. "We make for the cave." He announced, and then he placed a hand on Fili's shoulder, "Lead us."

I couldn't help but notice the look of slight pain on Kili's face. Could that be because Thorin regards his brother as better than him? No. It couldn't be, they are both excellent warriors. Still, the look on Kili's face made me wonder.

I gathered my things and pulled my sack onto my back. Now we only had a few ponies, because the others had bolted, we would have to leave things that weren't necessary or carry them ourselves. For now I opted to keep the content of my sack intact.

Fili and Kili lead us away from the clearing up sloping ground to where the trees thinned out. Blocking our way was a monstrous cliff face, jagged rocks cutting in and out of the initial structure. And there, sliced into the rock was a huge, dark opening. As we drew closer the smell hit my nose. It was disgusting. It was the smell of rotting, decomposing flesh and dirt. Fili and Kili halted, but Thorin carried on until he disappeared into the blackness of the cave, most of the company, including Gandalf and Bilbo followed him. I, however, did not. The smell from the cave was already overpowering from outside so I could only imagine what it was like inside.

The remaining ponies were left to graze under the now more watchful eyes of Fili and Kili. I dropped down with my back next to a tree beside them and stared up at the morning sky. A bird soared above dropping its shadow across my face.

Sitting like this reminded me so much of my time spent in East Farthing Wood back in the Shire. I would sit like this, with my back pressed up against the tree and my eyes turned up towards the skies. I loved to sit like that, when I wasn't off chasing wood elves and willow wisps. I was always annoyed at myself for not being able to find them, or even capture a willow wisp. I've heard they are meant to be beautiful, just like the elves.

"Why haven't you gone to explore the cave?" I glanced back down and over to Kili who was patting a pony on the nose.

"The smell, for one." I say back, then pause before adding. "And Thorin for two. I suppose it will be better if Bilbo and I stay out of his way for a while."

Kili nodded, "I don't think you two are bad burglars." He said, "Just a little inexperienced, that's all."

"Thank you," I say. "But it is Thorin we have to convince of this, not you." I chuckle and so does Kili, but we silence ourselves as Thorin emerges from the cave. Behind him trail the dwarves and Gandalf, their pockets are spewing with gold and other items. Thorin and Gandalf both carry sheathed swords with intricate patterns swirled on them.

Thorin informed us that we were to leave quickly as we didn't know how many other Trolls were around these parts. I was sure, whatever luck had aided us thus far, would not show itself if we were to meet another group of Trolls. The thought made me shudder.

Bilbo had wandered back over to Gandalf. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, I think it's because the old wizard has a habit of disappearing. He leaves on a whim and there is no knowing how long he will be, or if he will even return. I am glad that he has stayed with us this far, even if he did wander away yesterday. I can't help but think that he might leave us soon… Gandalf hands Bilbo a small dagger, much like the one I have at my side, except his is beautiful. It has similar designs to those engraved on Gandalf and Thorin's blades. The dagger, much like mine, could be described as a toothpick in comparison to the other dwarves' weapons. It certainly wouldn't do as much damage as Fili's war hammer or Dwalin's wickedly sharp war-axes. But a weapon, no matter how small, could save someone in dire circumstances, although, Bilbo doesn't look too pleased to be receiving the dagger.

A rustling, loud and close, shocked me into standing. I immediately thought: Troll. But then I realised that the rumbling from a Troll's footsteps would have alerted us to its presence a while ago.

"Something's coming!" Dwalin yelled, pulling a war axe from his back. I pulled the small dagger from its sheath, not caring how pathetic it looked in comparison to the arsenal of weapons that the others carried.

I glanced over at Fili and Kili, they smirked, although Fili's didn't reach his eyes. That worried me. I wondered momentarily if Kili was taking this seriously, he looked too carefree to be worried. And not being worried in this situation could be described as foolish. "Come on now, arm yourselves!" The call from Gandalf sent us hurrying forwards. I swallowed the lump building in my throat, realising that letting fear overcome me was not the best thing at this point. I glance behind me at Bilbo; he looks worried so I drop behind to walk with him. I reach my hand out to find his and give it a comforting squeeze. I drop his hand then and smile weakly. I just want to let him know, without having to say it, that I am as scared as he is.

The pace picks up as the rustling gets louder. I try to watch my feet, not wanting to trip on the grass that spirals around my ankles. We stop suddenly and I skid into the back of Fili. I turn, glancing around at where the noise is coming from.

"Thieves!" The yell makes my head swivel, I step to the side so I am standing beside Fili. There is an explosion of leaves and shrubbery as a large wooden frame rockets into the clearing pulled by giant rabbits. "Murder!"

The sight certainly shocked me. Out of all of the things I've seen on our travels I certainly did not expect to see a ragged man dressed entirely in brown, riding a makeshift sleigh pulled by rabbits. In some ways the raggedy man could be described as frightening. His eyes dart round all of us, a feral, crazed look occupies them. I didn't realise I had my dagger pointed at him until I looked to check if my hands were shaking. The blade was wobbling nervously in my grasp, so I lowered it, as did the others with their weapons at Gandalf's voice.

"Radagast," He said, relieved. "Radagast the brown." I sighed, also relieved that what I thought to be something dangerous, was actually only a member of the Istari wizards. I slid my sword back into its sheath and chuckled lightly at my own panic.

"See," I said to Bilbo, still chuckling. "Nothing to worry about at all." Bilbo's face cracked into a smirk.

"Do you think we should ask him if he lives in a tree?" I jumped when I heard Kili's voice behind me, and then I snorted into my palm. I turned and punched his arm lightly.

"Don't be rude," I whispered, glancing behind him to see the wizards still engrossed in convocation. Kili smirks and then heads over to Fili who was lounging by a small group of rocks. I could tell that everyone was extremely tired from last night.

"Something's wrong, Gandalf. The Greenwood is sick." I spin around, hearing the slightly raised voice of Radagast. "Gandalf, darkness has fallen over it." Radagast's head spins round to look at us. His gaze frightens me; I swallow and watch as Gandalf leads Radagast away and deeper into the Troll Shaw.

"Do you still think there's nothing to worry about," Bilbo whispered, his eyes following the direction Gandalf had gone.

"I'd like to hope there is nothing to worry about." I confess. "But it seems there is always something to worry about in this world." All of a sudden my heart plummeted into my chest. The realisation hitting me like a rock in the gut, there is nothing safe about this world anymore.

* * *

I tried to calm my thoughts in the time that Gandalf was gone. No matter how much I thought of my comfortable Hobbit-hole back in the Shire something always sparked in the back of my mind. It changed the rolling green hills and trees into dark places, the sky was always black, the air thick with smoke. Something was choking the life out of the world, and from what Radagast has said, it is starting with the Greenwood. I wonder, in the time that it takes us to complete this mission, will our home still be the same as when we left it? Or will the life have drained from every blade of grass and shrub? I hope not. I really hope not.

Bilbo sat next to me some time ago. He said nothing to me and I said nothing to him. The silence was comfortable, welcome even. Neither of us had to say anything, we only took the comfort in knowing that we were close to one another. I felt the pressure building behind my eyes, but I swallowed the soon-to-be tears away and turned to Bilbo.

"He said the Greenwood is sick," I say, quietly. "Sickness spreads. Do you think that, when we get back, the Shire will be sick?" I sound weak, I sound like a child wanting comfort from her mother.

"No, the Shire won't get sick." Said Bilbo, he took my hand and squeezed it, just like I had done to comfort him earlier. "I promise."

"I miss the strawberries." I say, remembering the taste of strawberries and cream. I remember sitting on the hillside with the Took children and eating strawberries as the fireworks went off over the shire. Bilbo chuckled at my comment.

"As do I." Then we fell back into silence, once again taking comfort in the fact that for the moment, now that danger is temporarily at bay, we are together and we are safe.

Gandalf hadn't returned when the howl ripped through the trees. I scrambled up quickly, instinctively reaching for my dagger and unsheathing it. Bilbo stood too, his head whipping round to the other dwarves who were reaching for their weapons.

"Is that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?" My head was snapping from tree to tree, searching as far as my eyes could allow me into the shrubbery for both Gandalf and the wolves.

"No," Said Bifur, causing me to turn to look at him. "That is no wolf."

A loud crack caused every head to whip round. High above us, perched on a boulder, stood the most hideous looking four-legged creature I have ever seen. From here I could tell that it was not a wolf, it was too large to even be considered one. It was covered in brown knotted fur, some of which had been ripped off. Its lips were pulled back over its teeth as another snarl gurgled through its throat. I was frozen in place as it leapt from its perch. It flew over our heads and I span just catching its desperate howl as Thorin buried his sword in its chest. There was another, one that Thorin didn't see, it was creeping towards him but got no further as an arrow landed between its eyes. I turned; Kili knocked another arrow, a triumphant look on his face.

I was nudged to the side as Gandalf returned to us. Thorin ripped his sword from the chest of the beast and growled. "Warg scouts! That means an Orc pack isn't far behind."

My hand tightened so much around my dagger that my knuckles turned white. First Trolls and now an Orc pack. "Who did you tell about your quest?" Gandalf enquired, walking to Thorin.

"No one." Thorin said, his face stony.

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf yelled.

"No one, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You're being hunted." I turned to Bilbo feeling bile rise in my throat. Hunted, what a lovely thought. With the panic coursing through every nerve in my body I almost miss Radagast leaping onto his sleigh and vanishing into the brush.

"What is he doing?" I say, worriedly. "He'll be killed."

My question isn't answered, I am only jolted forwards as Kili grabs hold of my arm and pulls me into a run. "Just like a race," He says, glancing back. "Keep up with me and you'll be fine."

We race through the trees, my feet going as fast as I can make them. The howls of the Wargs echo around us causing me to run faster. As we break through the last row of trees Gandalf leads us behind a large group of rocks. I breathe quickly, knowing that I will have to save my breath for the next time we run. Then we're off again. Ahead of us there is only open land with a few clusters of boulders just like the one we had just hid behind. In the distance I see the silhouettes of Radagast and his rabbits being pursued by the Wargs and their riders. We run the opposite way to Radagast, hoping that it will put more distance between us and the ones that hunt us. I am only faintly aware of Kili's hand clamped around my arm, pulling me to keep up with him.

The rocks offer us some kind of refuge, but we never stay behind them long. I'm used to walking, but running quickly over an extended period of time is not what I am used to. My lungs begin to burn and ache, but due to Kili's hand on my arm I have no choice but to keep running. That, and the fact that I'll surely be torn to pieces if I stop. I glance up, seeing Thorin skid to a stop in front of us, we do to, as the forms of Radagast and the Wargs cross in front of us. We turn, not stopping, Gandalf leading the way this time, keeping as close to the jagged rocks as we can. I lose count of the many times we stop and turn. Radagast appeared to be leading the Wargs in circles, unaware that by doing so he was also keeping us enclosed in the same place. Yet we still run, we still run because we think that we can escape. That is what I hold on to as my lungs protest and I take great wheezing breaths. We dart behind another pile of boulders as Radagast darts into sight again. I press my back up against the rock and suck the air in through my nose.

I feel Kili's hand leave my arm and I glance up at him. He's looking at his bow, knocking an arrow silently and bracing himself. I hear the snarl as Kili rushes forward, turns and looses the arrow. The Warg and rider slip from the rock and land with a thud. Weapons rain down on both beasts, death howls echo in their lungs. I swallow, turning away as the gurgling death wails fall away into nothing. An echoing howl pulls me away from the image of the dead Orc and Warg. Gandalf turns, yelling for us to follow and once again we are running. We run faster now, faster because we know we are being pursued. The growls and barks get louder as the Orc pack gain ground, and I can't help but think that this could possibly be the end. I hoped we were further away from the Wargs than we actually were. It seemed as though as soon as we had started running, we had ground to a halt. The dwarves were yelling, weapons were held high, ready to attack and I was stood shaking.

The Wargs are everywhere. Two stand to my left, two more to my right; a fourth is in front of us. I'm turning, looking for a way out, a way that I can't find. My breaths shake, I look to Bilbo, and he looks at me. A shared glance before a howl causes my eyes to rip away. Another Warg fell under Kili's arrows.

"We're surrounded!" Fili yells as his brother looses arrow after arrow. Ori, attempting to knock the Warg that was advancing on him back, shot a small rock from his slingshot. This only angered the beast further. We step backwards, our options slimming, only one remaining: fight.

"Where is Gandalf?" I hear the yell and I spin on my heel. Could it be possible that the old wizard has been attacked without us noticing? No, it can't be, this is Gandalf. He would never be ambushed.

"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin yelled gruffly, gripping his war-axes ever tighter. No, he wouldn't abandon us! He can't abandon us! I grip my dagger tighter as more Wargs come. Soon we will have no choice; we will have to fight to the death.

"This way, you fools!" I spin at Gandalf's voice. He popped up, like a mushroom, from behind a small rock. I ran towards it, watching as Bilbo threw himself over the rock. I turn, glancing to see if the Wargs had begun their pursuit. My eyes land on one lone figure, further out than the rest of us, still shooting at the Wargs.

"Kili!" I yell, he releases another arrow, it reaches its target and the Orc rider falls. He's going to be killed. Thorin slices down a Warg and grabs hold of the back of my cloak, dragging me down.

I land on my side, wincing at the impact. Bilbo is at my side first, his eyes panicked. "Rosa, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I say, scrambling up and out of the way just as Kili and Thorin slide down into the hidden cavern.

We stand together, completely prepared for a Warg to launch itself down the gap. We wait; the sound of our ragged breaths amplified in my ears, and then something else meets my ears. A horn, loud and booming, howls out inbetween the cries and growls of dying Wargs and Orcs. Bilbo pushes me back as a lone Orc tumbles down into the cavern, dead. An arrow sticks out of its scarred throat. Thorin reaches forwards, a sucking sound accompanies the ejection of the arrow from the Orcs neck.

"Elves," He says, disgustedly, throwing the arrow to the floor.

"Shall we follow it?" I turn watching Dwalin return from a small tunnel. I nod as the other dwarves voice their opinions. We begin to move again. I ignore the protests from my legs and lungs. The only thing I want is to get as far away from the body of the Orc and any other Wargs that might be waiting above the cavern.

We follow the tunnel, twisting and turning with the pathway. I glance up, just barely seeing the sky through a great crack in the top of the tunnel. We hurry along in silence, fuelled on by what awaits us at the end of the tunnel. Whatever it is had to be better than what we had just experienced. It had to be. Suddenly the tunnel fell away and the light hit us from all sides. I wince at the air rushing into my lungs as I gasp at the sight before me.

The city is beautiful. Hundreds of intricately shaped buildings occupy the cliff opposite us. They looked as if they had been carved from the finest stones and jewels. Towers with huge windows and large open buildings looked over the edge of one enormous waterfall that sliced and cut its way around the buildings. The sound of rushing water and far off song-bird like voices filled my ears. It was if I had wandered into a very welcome dream. A dream I simply did not want to wake from.

"The valley of Imladris," announced Gandalf, stepping down towards the city. "In common tongue it is known by another name."

Rivendell. We've come to see the elves.

* * *

**I liked writing this chapter, i didn't seem to take me as long as it has for the others. Anyway, i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i have writing it. Hopefully i will have a snow day tomorrow so i can hopefully update then :) **


	6. Chapter 6

I felt like a child again. One who has run away into a magical land, away from the harsh realities of the world. I felt as if I could run down into the city and keep running forever, the nostalgia would keep me company and I would never have to leave. I can picture them, the elves, singing joyfully beyond the city walls. They wear flowing gold spun from the finest silks and play the most wonderful songs.

I feel as if Bilbo and I are the only two who feel like this. From the expressions on the other dwarves faces they don't seem to pleased to be here. I don't blame them in some way, they have had no alliance with the elves since Thranduil turned his back on them years ago.

Turning my head back I see that Thorin is voicing his opinion to Gandalf who waves it away insisting that the elves can answer the questions we have. I start down the rock-steps slowly, just so I can get a better view of everything. It all just seems so… pure and untainted. It seems as though a veil has been thrown over Rivendell so that nothing evil or malevolent may enter. It is comforting to know that while we're here, for however long we stay, we will be safe.

Gandalf strides past me and continues down towards Rivendell, the dwarves follow after him with their weapons still drawn. I wait for Bilbo and walk beside him. His eyes, like mine, are darting from building to building, from tree to tree. We descend into the city, elven voices rise up around us. But from where I do not know.

Their voices were like laughter, springing up and ringing deep in my ears. Their song echoed through the glades and over the rock side.

_O! What are you seeking, _

_And where are you making?_

_The faggots are reeking, _

_The bannocks are baking!_

_O! tril-lil-lil-lolly _

_The valley is jolly, _

_Ha! Ha!_

_O! Where are you going_

_With beards all a-wagging?_

_No knowing, no knowing _

_What brings Mister Baggins_

_And Balin and Dwalin_

_Down into the valley _

_In June_

_Ha! Ha!_

June? Is it really June already? It only seems like yesterday that we set out from Bag End, but in reality almost two months have passed. I used to be able to pride myself on my time keeping, but I suppose that being away from home and far off in the wild messes with the mind.

As we traipsed into the valley the elves came into view. They hid up in the trees, their voices mixing harmoniously. It brought a smile to my face, and to Bilbo's, the Dwarves still have stony faces. I'm sure that they would rather be out there with the Wargs and Orcs instead of being in the home of the 'enemy' as Thorin called them.

Soon enough a small stone bridge came into view. Gandalf crossed first, the rest of us following after him. I glanced down over the edge of the bridge, the water from the waterfall to its left cascaded in ribbons into the river at the bottom. The spray burst up at the bottom of the river, creating the most wonderful gurgling and bubbling sounds.

I step under a stone archway as I exit the bridge and I can't help but tilt my head up towards the buildings and let my eyes drink everything in. Despite the fact they aren't happy to be here the dwarves are doing the same, I spin trying to see everything but there I so much more that I can't see. There's so much history, so much beauty and mystery hidden in this once place that I am sure, no matter how long I stay here, I will never be able to see everything.

In front of us lie a great number of steps, all delicately carved from the stone. Atop them stands an elf. His appearance is so ethereal that I cannot pull my eyes away. As he descends the stone steps, his feet barely touch the stone, his every move so graceful that the robe he wears flows like water around his ankles.

"Mithrandir," He say's spreading his arms wide in a greeting. Behind me I can hear the dwarves muttering amongst one another as Gandalf greets the elf warmly. I only just catch the mention of the name 'Elrond' when a blazing horn, much like the one I heard back in the cavern sounds.

Immediately the dwarves swarm together. I'm grabbed and pulled backwards quickly, only just catching a glimpse of several horses galloping across the stone bridge. I tilt my head up, slightly panicked, as the horses surround us. Instantly, I wondered why the elves had commanded their steeds to surround us, surely they bare us no ill will. I turn, knocking into Bilbo who has also been pushed to the centre. I notice that although they are surrounding us, not one of the elves glance in our direction. They're dressed in battle armour, which makes me wonder if these are the elves that had attacked the Wargs outside of the cavern.

"Gandalf!" I turn again, seeing a lone rider astride a brown horse; he smiles at Gandalf and then begins to talk in a language that I don't understand. Gandalf replies quickly, also speaking in elven tongue. The dwarves are staring around begrudgingly, I don't think it helps the matter that they can't understand what Elrond and Gandalf are talking about. When Elrond turned to address us I was not the only one who found it slightly rude to speak in a language that none of us understood.

"What is he saying? Does he insult us?" That was a slightly brash thought, although it wasn't an impossible one. I don't suppose that Lord Elrond would insult is, especially as he knows very well that dwarves and elves do not get along. Then again, he could be insulting us for that reason.

"No, Master Gloin. He offers you food." Food. Just the mere thought makes my mouth water. All we had been living on is slim pickings of bacon and stew. To be quite honest, I was beginning to get sick of bacon. Anything that could be found in a salad would do me well at the moment.

The dwarves close in on each other, whispering. 'Food! I think we should,' 'I don't know…' 'I'm starving, why are we even conferring about this…' The whispering stops before I even get to ask why they were considering turning down a meal.

"Well, alright then, lead on." And then we followed.

I couldn't stop my eyes from darting around as we walked the elven halls. Tapestries and statues hung and stood by every corner, birds were chirping outside the windows and everywhere I looked elves glided through the corridors, their clothes flowing behind them like the great waterfall that rests on their doorstep. Soon we all emerge onto a balcony, a great table is laden with the greenest of foods. Goblets are already filled with ruby wine and an elf maiden plays a harp off on the edge of the balcony.

"Sit, and fill your stomachs." Elrond says. The dwarves, and I for that matter, don't have to be told twice. I sat, finding my place next to Bilbo, and loaded my plate with greens. I was content at munching on the crisp lettuce and ripe cherry tomatoes, but some of the dwarves must have thought this was merely an entrée.

Muttering filled the table as they concluded that they will not be getting any meat. I found it hard not to laugh at them, poor Ori just wanted some chips, and I half-heartedly agreed that some chips would be nice. Soon enough the noise of the harps and flutes began to get to the dwarves as well, Oin eventually stuffed his ear-trumpet with a handkerchief to rid himself of the noise. I found the harps and flutes slightly comforting, although the song they played seemed solemn it reminded me of Midsummers-eve back in the Shire. Flutes and other instruments would be played for us to dance and clap along to; some would even sing merry songs. A part of me missed those merry songs.

* * *

After we had finished our meal we were lead out onto another balcony where we would be staying. Thorin and Gandalf disappeared off with Lord Elrond and I concluded that Thorin, much to his distaste, would be questioned about his quest. We were told that we could wander about Rivendell if we liked, the dwarves wanted to stay together so they amused themselves on the balcony. I however, not only wanted to explore a bit, but I also wanted to get clean. The weeks without a bath meant that I was covered in dirt and grime. It would be lovely to get clean again.

As I passed along one of the corridors I noticed a beautiful elf woman leaving one of the rooms. I scurried to catch up with her, "Excuse me," I said, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but do you know of a place where I could get clean?"

The elf woman smiled and surveyed my dirtied appearance. "Of course, you are looking for the bath houses. I will show you the way."

"Thank you very much," I say, smiling back up at the elven woman. "My name is Rosa Baggins."

"Ah!" Said the woman, "You are one of the hobbits who is travelling with the company of dwarves. It is curious that two hobbits should travel with such… _strange creatures._ I am Caladhiel."

"It's very nice to meet you," I say. "They are quite strange, yes. But they are quite a merry bunch when you get to know them." We leave the building and begin to go down, further into the valley. Trees begin to rise up from the grass, encasing the path we walk on with sprinkled light.

"I must admit, I have never before laid eyes on a dwarf." Caladhiel says, as I turn my head towards the trees.

"Neither had I, until they…" I paused, holding my tongue. Surely if I said that they turned up on my doorstep then questions will be asked. "Crossed me and my brother on the road. It is really beautiful in the valley," I add, attempting to cover up my earlier pause.

Caladhiel smiles at my comment. "We pride ourselves in looking after the valley. It is the only place where no evil can enter. I suppose we live a rather sheltered life, considering all the dangers in the wild."

I laugh and the sound of bubbling water meets my ears. "You have no idea. Trolls!" I say, letting out a ragged cough-laugh. "I was nearly gobbled by a troll! Not to mention run down by Wargs and kept awake at night by a prowling Orc pack! But I am not used to the dangers of the world, it would seem like nothing to those who have to survive in the wild."

"Here we are!" Announced Caladhiel. She gestured to the wonderful springs that bubbled up from the ground and into shallow pools. "I will wait until you have finished bathing, that way you will not get lost trying to find your way back."

Caladhiel disappeared off into the trees and I hastily removed my clothes and sunk into one of the pools. I dunked my head under the water and scrapped the grime and dirt from my skin. By the time I had finished my skin was scrubbed raw, but I had never felt so clean in my entire life. I begin to climb out of the pool when I notice that my tattered and dirtied clothes are gone. In their place sits a towel and a blue folded dress. I hurry to dry myself and slip the fabric over my head. It feels strange to be wearing a dress after the past two months spent in male attire. Despite this I can say that I have never worn anything so beautiful.

"It fits!" I turn, fabric turning with me, towards Caladhiel who stands next to the path we took to the pools. "I am glad. Although, I did have to look through several children's dresses to find it."

"Thank you," I say. "It's lovely. But, where are my other clothes?"

"I've asked for them to be washed. There is no point in bathing then returning to dirty clothes." I open my mouth to thank her again, but she waves it away as if it is nothing. "Do you know how long you are staying?"

"I'm not sure…" I admit. "Although I suppose that the dwarves will want to leave as soon as possible." Caladhiel nodded in understanding.

"I understand," she say's as we walk away from the valley. "I wouldn't want to stay in my enemy's home either, even if it was by invitation. Although, I hope they know that they do not have any enemies within these walls."

"They seem to think it," I say, combing my hair with my fingers. "Sixty years. It seems such a long time to hold a grudge. But then again, dwarves can be stubborn."

"You would know," Caladhiel laughs. "Our people can be stubborn too; if we think we are right."

Caladhiel talked about her life in Rivendell as we headed back towards the balcony on which I would be staying. She wasn't born here, in fact she once lived in Mirkwood, or the Greenwood as it was once called, with the wood elves. Her father, who is friends with Lord Elrond, wanted her to move somewhere safe, away from the dangers of the forest. She said that Mirkwood was, and still is- she thinks-, a lovely place, full of wonders and many creatures. She loved her home, but now she has come to love Rivendell too.

* * *

When we arrived back at the hallway opposite the balcony Caladhiel informed me that my old clothes would be with me soon, bade me farewell and continued on her way. I headed down the corridor towards the balcony, the breeze bringing the smell of cooked bacon to my nose. I chuckled at the fact that the dwarves could not last without meat for one day.

I stepped out onto the balcony, noticing that Bilbo, Thorin and Gandalf were nowhere to be found. "You look revived, Lady Rosa." Said Bofur as he plated up some more bacon.

"Nothing a nice bath won't fix," I say. "I do hope my clothes are returned soon though, I'm not fond of dresses." The dwarves chuckled and I took my place next to them.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, and well on into the evening, the dwarves struck up merry tunes on their instruments. Those who no longer had their instruments sung or hummed in tune. I sat close to the edge of the balcony, the sound of the waterfall mixing with the hums of the dwarves and the soft songs of the elven folk below us. As the sun dropped lower into the sky and dipped behind the land that kept Rivendell hidden the song of the dwarves drew to a close. They now sat in a large circle, Balin was telling another tale, one that everybody wanted to listen to.

"Are you alright, Rosa?" I twist my head away from the glimmering sunset and look over at Kili who now sits opposite me, his back pressed up against the wall.

"Yes, of course." I say, letting my words drop away as a thought rushed into mind. "I- Thank you."

"For what?" He asked, turning his head towards the vast woodland in the valley.

"You know what I thank you for," I say. "I doubt I would have been able to keep up if you hadn't helped me along."

"It's what we do," Kili said, simply. "You and Bilbo, you're part of our company, and the company looks after one another." It was rather sweet, that one small comment. It made me feel, for a moment, that I hadn't really been out of place. In fact, we- Bilbo and I- had been part of the company all along; we've just never noticed it before. A small smile crept onto my face and I stood up from my place on the balcony.

"Where are you going?" Kili asked, also standing.

"I'm going to listen to this tale; I think you and Fili are in it, if I was listening correctly." We return to where the rest of the dwarves are sitting and listen to the rest of Balin's story- which happened to be quite amusing- apparently Fili and Kili were quite the terrors when they were young.

Sometime into the evening Thorin, Gandalf and Bilbo returned. Thorin looked to be rather angry, but that was probably due to the fact that Lord Elrond didn't approve of this quest, or at least that is what Bilbo told me. Soon after the return of Bilbo, Thorin and Gandalf, some of the dwarves settled down to sleep and I- being the only female in the company- was offered a room by one of the elves.

The room was rather luxurious, but I didn't take time to look around. I saw my clothes, now clean, placed upon my bed, so I moved them, and clambered beneath the sheets. It was the most comfortable place in Middle-Earth at this exact moment, and it didn't take me long to fall asleep.

* * *

Sleep, however, didn't last long that night.

I was awake when Bilbo quietly entered my room, dreams of Orcs and Wargs kept waking me throughout the short intervals of dozing. Bilbo obviously didn't notice the shadow sitting atop my bed; it was quite amusing to see him jump at my voice.

"Bilbo Baggins, what on earth are you doing?" I whispered, trying not to laugh as he squeaked in fright. He composed himself quickly and hurried over towards the bed.

"Come on, we have to leave." He said, hurriedly. "Thorin's making us leave; he's too suspicious of the elves."

"Right," I say as I scramble out from under the covers. "He couldn't have said this earlier, could he? Now I have to change. Go, and tell them I will be along in a moment." I say, pulling my trousers up under the elven dress.

Bilbo left quickly and I hurried to change before creeping from the hall and down the corridor to the balcony. The dwarves were all up and ready, and it seemed, by the scowl on Thorin's face, that they were all waiting for me. "Sorry, but if I was informed of this sudden leave earlier I would have been prepared." Thorin grunted and without so much as another word began walking down the steps and towards the great bridge, company in tow.

The dawn had not long broken as we climbed out of the valley. I glanced back at the shimmering valley, but only for a moment. Bilbo however took his time, I placed my hand on his shoulder, just as Thorin told us to hurry, and together we climbed out of the valley and towards the Misty Mountains.

* * *

_Firstly I am so, so, so, so sorry that it has taken so long to update. I've had a massive case of writers block and loads of revision to do for my exams. Secondly, I am also going to apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I suppose this is a filler chapter. Thirdly, I want to thank everyone who has followed, f__avorited, reviewed and read this story. It means a lot to me. _

_Right. I'm going to get started on the next chapter now, and hopefully it will be up by next weekend. Once again, thank you for reading my story and I hope you like it so far :) _


	7. Chapter 7

The road to the Mountains was made harder because we no longer had horses to burden with our loads. Although we had left what we could not carry, we were all tired from the arduous trek that had led us thus far. I stayed close to Bilbo, the little conversation we had varied between the Shire and whether the Sackville-Baggins' had already begun to think we had left for good.

It was many nights after we had climbed out of the valley, leaving Rivendell far behind, and we were still ascending the great mountains. It was a dangerous path to travel; at any moment the path which we walked upon could drop right out from beneath our feet, that is, if the wind didn't blow us right off the ledge. Despite the unsafeness of the mountain pass, the view from up here is wonderful. I can see for miles, back to the roads we have travelled, back to where everything is wonderful and green. Somewhere, back down in the world that we have left behind, lies the Shire, tucked away in its tidy little valley.

The further up the mountain we travelled the colder it got and the colder it got the slower we walked. I shivered and tucked my cloak tightly around myself, the wind came rushing past us at an ever growing rate and when the rain began to lash at us from all sides, I wished for a moment that I was back in the Shire, in front of our hearth with a warm cup of tea.

"The summer will be getting on back home," Bilbo mentioned to me one day.

"Yes, they will be having picnics and haymaking."

"Not to mention, blackberrying." He sighed, Bilbo did love blackberrying. "And all that will be over before we even begin to make our way down the mountain at this rate."

It was that very night, not that long after the mention of haymaking and blackberrying that seemed to spur me and Bilbo on, that the weather took a vile turn. The thunder came rattling into the mountain pass, and the rain followed it. Lightning split the sky above us and the rocks groaned and growled around us. I kept my hood up and my head down, my eyes never straying from the path that kept us above the rocks that lay below. That was until a yell made me whip my head around so fast I nearly slipped from the path in fright.

It was Bilbo that had called out, Dwalin had grabbed him just in the nick of time before he tumbled off the edge of the mountain pass. I grabbed his arm as Dwalin pulled him back to safety. "Bilbo, are you alright?" I asked breathlessly. He nodded once, a worried smile on his face and told me not to worry.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin yelled from up at the front. But he got no further; a magnificent cry from Dwalin sent our eyes to the sky as a great bolder flew in our direction. It smashed upon the wall above our heads and sent splinters raining down at us. I pressed myself against the wall, my hands scrambling for a hold so the rumbling would not shake me from my perch. I felt the rocks tumble past us as the wind tore the hood from my head.

"This isn't a thunderstorm!" Balin declared as I moved my head away from the wall. "It's a thunder battle!"

My eyes widened as the cliff face opposite us broke apart into a massive stone figure. So the legends are true! There really are great stone giants in the Misty Mountain pass! The giant let out a massive roar and sent another great boulder in our direction; it tumbled away from us and into another giant that just rounded the mountain. The mountain rumbled beneath me and the ground cracked and split around us. I felt a tug on my cloak and glanced down just as the mountain path split beneath my feet. I tumbled backwards, right into the chest of Kili who held me firmly against him. My eyes widened as we were pulled away from the rest of the group.

"Bilbo!" I cried, a helpless shout against the noises around us. I looked up, the ground shaking as the rocks we stood on began to move. I grabbed onto the rocks behind me, as the giant we stood on was attacked by another.

Rocks were assaulting us from all sides, the noise was horrendous but all I could see was Bilbo's face as our perch sailed past his own. Our giant was falling, falling down towards the ground below us. The mountain walls were rushing towards us and my eyes slammed shut as the walls collided.

I was slammed forwards, straight into the opposing wall. I hit the ground hard, throwing my hands over my head to shelter it from the rocks falling around us. "No!" I faintly heard Thorin's cry, "No! Kili!" I forced my eyes to open, an ache pounding within my skull as I raised my head. Pushing myself upwards I turned to see the rest of the company, their eyes filled with joy as they realised that we had not been killed.

But there was no Bilbo.

"Bilbo!" I cried, scrambling upwards, feeling a pain jolt in my side as I did so. "Bilbo! Where is he?" I yelled, seeing Bofur glance down over the cliff face.

"There!" Bofur cried, scrambling down to grab hold of him. I saw his hands slip and I screamed out, scrambling forwards to the cliff edge just in time to see Dwalin grab hold of my brother's hand.

"Bilbo! Bilbo, grab my hand!" The cries came from everyone. I stretched my fingers but I knew I would never be able to reach him. I did not, however, expect Thorin to leap down the Cliffside and haul Bilbo to safety.

"Bilbo!" I cried, flinging my arms around him and holding him as tight as I could. "Are you alright? Oh- Of course not, what a stupid question-" My voice was on the verge of hysterical, so I pulled back and wiped the tears from my face.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar!"

"He's been lost ever since he left home- the both of them have. They should never have come. They have no place amongst us." Thorin's voice was harsh. It cut through me like a knife, and I'm guessing it did the same to Bilbo. I looked down, not willing to question what Thorin had said. Perhaps he was right… perhaps we never should have left home.

There was a cave- unoccupied as far as we could tell- just a little further along the path. Tired and miserable we entered the cave in hope of a good night's sleep. There was no fire lit that night as there was no knowing what lurked in these caves. Thorin decided it was best that we didn't attract anymore unwanted attention from anything else that might occupy these mountains.

I found a nook in the cave, a small place away from the rest of the company. The words Thorin had said not long after the escapade with the stone giants hurt me, but I wasn't sure why. It made me think of Bag End and it made me realise that I had no idea what I was doing when I left home. I curled up under my covers, trying not to think about home, or blackberrying or haymaking… I was afraid that if I thought of such merry things, I would feel more homesick than I have been before.

Pulling the covers tightly around myself, I closed my eyes and hoped that everything would be alright in the morning.

* * *

Sleep had taken me quickly after that. Maybe it was the journey, or the rain, or the fact that I could have lost my brother and some of my closest friends only a few hours ago. But now I was being shaken awake, just like on the day I left Bag End with the dwarves, only now it was Bilbo shaking my shoulder and not Gandalf.

"Up! Get up, Rosa!" The panic in his voice had shaken me more than the suddenness of my awakening. The ground was jolting beneath me and all around me the dwarves had scrambled upwards. I kicked myself out of the covers, just barely making it to my feet when the ground collapsed from underneath us.

I grasped for Bilbo, or for anyone really, but at the speed we were falling it was too hard to even see where anyone was. The world rushed by in flashes of darkened reds and flashes of yellow, but as soon as we had begun falling, the ground rushed up to meet us and my hands scraped the rock as I tried to steady myself.

Everything was happening too quickly, the groans of my companions echoed around me, but something else, another sound, worried me more. The screeching howls of hundreds of goblins met my ears and within moments of me catching a glimpse of the first creature, they had swarmed us. I reached for the knife that Kili had given me, but I was bustled and shoved to my feet. I winced as the creatures surrounding us raked their hands on my exposed skin as I attempted to turn.

"Bilbo!" I yell, desperately seeking my brother. "Bilbo! Get your hands off me you filth!" I batted at the goblin to my side, but the other forced me forwards sending me stumbling to the floor. The skin on my knees split and blood began to trickle.

"Let go of her!" I heard the cry from somewhere behind, I know that it's either Fili or Kili trying to help, but which I do not know. I was dragged to my feet again, only just aware that Dwalin was in front of me.

I have no idea where they are leading us. Everything I see is identical. The bridges are all tattered and broken, the walls all the same blackened shade of red, the torches all stood tall, the rocks all dropped off into the same abyss. One false move, one tempted shove and it is certain death; there is no knowing how far that drop is, or how many jagged rocks lie at the bottom.

The endless screech of goblin wails echo in my ears. They're just as I imagined them to be, dirtied bodies, scarred skin and bruised all over. Weapons of all descriptions hang from their sides, teeth are broken and missing. They are almost as terrible looking as the Orcs and Wargs we faced just before Rivendell.

I stumble again, the ground uneven beneath my bare feet, I catch myself this time and try to catch sight of my brother once more. Once we stop I will find him, that is, if we aren't destined to stop at the bottom of the next cavern.

The goblins begin to sing. It is a horrid tune matched with the slapping of their feet, their stony voices are far from harmonious, but it is not that, but what they sing, that sends a shiver down my spine: 'Down, down in Goblin town,' and 'cracking whips.' I hoped that that wasn't a warning for what was to come, but no sooner had we passed over the next rickety goblin bridge I felt the sting of the whip colliding with my shoulder. I whimper, my eyes filling quickly with tears and, for a moment, I imagine Bag End.

The roasting fire is welcoming. Seed-cakes and buttered scones litter the pantry table, hot fresh soup and pork pies sit on the picnic benches ready for midsummers eve. Gandalf's fireworks burn brightly in the sky, bursting and sparkling, twisting and turning, contorting into an array of glorious flowers and wondrous insects. I see it all, everything I can remember from home and everything that happened before I hurried out of the door at the end of April. I can see everything that happened before the danger in the Troll Shaw, everything before seeing the Wargs and the Orcs. I even see old raggedy Radagast and his Rhosgobel rabbits.

I blink and it snaps me from my memory that has managed to fuel my feet this far. We stand now in what could be a grand hall. Goblins stand on all sides, they screech and yell, baring their teeth and wishing us ill. I turn my head. Fili and Kili stand next to me, their faces stony, empty of all fear. I wonder momentarily if they have ever experienced anything like this before. Turning again I almost retch. Standing before us, on some makeshift throne, is the largest and vilest of all of the goblins in the room. He stands at least six goblins high and four wide, his chin is bulging with fat, so much so that it reminds me of an overgrown bull-frog. The goblin's skin is all dirtied and brown, littered with scars and blotches; its eyes are small and beady, sunk into their sockets.

"Search them!" It demanded. The goblins around us rushed forwards, their hands diving into our coats and pockets. "Every crack, every crevice!"

A hand reaches beneath my shirt and I yelp, stumbling back a little and into the chest of Dwalin. Every weapon we hold in our possession was thrown at the feet of the goblin king. He scans them and then his eyes head down to the smaller goblin that whispers inaudibly up to him. He smirks a terrible smirk and stands from his throne, causing the bones it is made from to crack and groan in protest.

"Who are these miserable persons?" He bellows, "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves! We found them on our doorstep."

I restrained from taking a step back as the goblin king walked forwards. I turned, my eyes glancing around for Bilbo. My mind shut out the sound of the goblins bellowing voices, it told me one thing and one thing only, that Bilbo was missing. Dead, even. He could have fallen from a ledge, or pushed, or even sliced down where he stood. No. Not my brother, not Bilbo. He is strong, he has to be somewhere, he just has to be.

"I am Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror." Announced Thorin, stepping forwards. I wondered if Thorin thought that this announcement would appease the goblin king, but it only made his halls rumble with laughter.

"Welcome, King under the mountain," he said, giving a proxy bow. "Oh, but wait… You don't have a mountain… And you're not a king… So that makes you no one, really…" The goblin king chuckled and then bent down so he was eye to eye with Thorin. "I know someone who will pay a pretty price for your head. Just your head, nothing attached."

I swallowed and tried to calm my hands that were shaking somewhat terribly. "Perhaps you know of whom I speak? An old enemy of yours." No. It can't be who I'm thinking of. He's dead, died from his wounds, the wounds that Thorin gave him! "The pale Orc, astride a white Warg…"

"Azok the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago!" The goblin king laughed heartily at Thorin's statement.

"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" The goblin king turned towards a small goblin, taking notes at the side. "Send word to the pale Orc. Tell him, I have found his prize."

I felt sick as a familiar horrid beat started around the halls. Feet slapped in unison and a horrid groaning sound rose up from the dark. The goblin king twisted around, his voice echoing a song around his dirtied halls. I turned my head, glancing at the instruments of torture that made my head spin. The goblins began to shove us; I stumbled, knocking into the dwarves, trying to keep my balance. Then there was a horrible wail and a clang of metal, the goblin king recoiled, shaking as he stumbled back upon his throne of bones.

"I know that sword!" He yelled, pointing one of his sausage fingers at the blade. "It is the Goblin Cleaver! The biter! The blade that sliced a thousand heads!" All of a sudden, blows started raining down upon us. The goblins slashed with claws and whips, they dragged us apart and held us down. A hand grasped my wrist and dragged me forwards; I landed on my hands and knees in front of a goblin brandishing a whip. I tugged, tried to pull away from my captors but the whip pulled back mercilessly. I closed my eyes, tears brimming beneath the lids, I heard the crack but felt not the burn of the whip.

My eyes snapped open; a body was in front of my own, taking the blow of the whip. It cracked against his skin and I saw a moment of pain echo in Kili's eyes. Several goblins jumped him, enraged that he had managed to evade their grip in the first place. "No! Stop it! Stop it, let him go!" He was dragged back; the whip fell again, slicing across my shoulder. A strangled cry made its way from my throat.

Amidst the cries and wails a light, more brilliant than any I had seen, emerged from the distance. It blew back the goblins and their king, smashed their instruments of torture and drowned out their song. Then when it all faded, and all eyes rested on the place from whence it came, Gandalf stepped from the source of the light, his eyes empty of anything. "Take up arms. Fight! Fight!"

And fight we did.

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**Firstly I am going to apologize for how long it has taken me to upload this chapter. I hope you like it, and I will update the next chapter soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

I scramble upwards, wincing at the pain in my shoulder. The goblins launch their way back at us trying to keep us away from our weapons. Bombur reaches them first, he throws the weapons towards the others, war hammers and swords are snatched up quickly and in moments the sound of skin being sliced, wails of goblins and war cries of the dwarves echo around the halls of the Goblin King. My hand finds the hilt of my knife; I bring it round the metal glinting against the light from the torches and without thinking slice it across the chest of an oncoming goblin. It howls and falls, blood spurting from the incision on its body. I glance up, from the walls of the mountain I see the rivers of goblins, cascading out of cracks and holes, they wail and howl, brandish their weapons and launch themselves into the fray.

In the midst of it all I look for Bilbo. I swing my sword wildly and try to see where he could be. I hadn't seen him at all since we had been brought before the Goblin King. Around me the goblins begin depleting in number, heads roll across the floor, stray limbs lie detached from bodies. I glance around, the Goblin King has gone, fallen or retreated, I did not know. "Follow me!" Gandalf calls to us, and I spin just in time to spear a goblin that was running towards me through the stomach. "Quick! Rosa, quick!"

I run towards Gandalf. A bridge leads off and down further into the mountain, I follow the rest of the company, running across the rickety planks and treacherous rocks. I can't help but glance around at the goblins that seem to be sprouting out of the walls like some kind of foul plague. It seems less and less likely that we will escape the halls with our lives.

I stay in the middle of the company, probably because whoever is behind me is managing to urge me forwards and fight at the same time. Ahead I can just about see Gandalf's grey hat, and ahead of that I can only see the blackness of the cave walls. Scrambling across the bridges, I hold my knife aloft, it strains my arms and burns my shoulders, but if I drop it I might as well fling myself into the bottom of the next cavern. I swing it when I have to, slicing, stabbing, wounding, anything to try and keep the goblins from attacking. But it will not last, my legs ache from the running, and it is not only me that is feeling the strain of this battle. Although they urge themselves on, even the dwarves look tired; their moves are a little more sluggish than I have previously seen. As we round the next rock face I yelp at the hordes of goblins ready to swing from the ropes above us.

"Cut the ropes!" Thorin yells, and round me ropes begin to be sliced, I bring my blade down on a rope and it splits as the goblins launch themselves from their perches. There is a deafening groan from above as the bridge that had previously rested above our heads lurched forwards. The goblins ropes caught around the falling bridge and they swung off into the darkness of the cavern below. I urge my feet forwards, following the dwarves again as we round corner after corner, fight goblin after goblin and we still don't seem to be any closer to the open. Turning the next corner I collide with Gandalf, he's stopped; the gap in front of us is too big to jump. My stomach lurches as the floor below us surges forwards, "Jump!" somebody yells, and my eyes widen. Jump? That gap? I'll never make that gap! I glance up at Gandalf who grabs my arm and jumps; I close my eyes as we sail over the gap. We land, I stumble but due to Gandalf's hand around my arm I keep my footing. Then we are running again, more bridges, more torches, and more goblins.

Then a thunderous boom fills the cavern. I stumble backwards as the Goblin King sprouts up in front of us. All falls silent save a few goblin cries. "Oh for the love of Old Took." I squeak, trying to calm my trembling hands. I turn. We are surrounded.

"You thought you could escape me?" The Goblin King bellowed, smashing his staff at Gandalf's feet. The wizard stumbled but stood firm, his eyes steeled as he stared down the goblin. "What are you going to do now, _wizard_?"

Gandalf surged forward. His staff connected with the eye of the Goblin King first, and then he swung his arm round, dragging his sword across its stomach. The great goblin howled and fell to his knees, "That'll do it…" He murmured. Gandalf swung his sword one final time. The blade sliced the Goblin King's great bullfrog chin, a gurgle rose up in his throat, blood poured from the wound and his mouth, dribbling down his great chin and across his already bleeding stomach. The king tilted, groaned and fell forwards onto the bridge, staining the wood crimson.

_CRACK. _

I looked down; drawing in a breath so quick it pained my lungs. The sheer weight of the now dead Goblin King had caused the supports to crumble and splinter. I fell back, the wood of the bridge connecting with my backside as the wood shuddered and rumbled, and then, with a great crack, the bridge collapsed and we were falling.

Much like when we were ambushed first by the goblins, the cavern walls began to rush past at a rate that burned my eyes. I screamed, my hands digging into the wood below me, every rock we hit sent a ripple through the wood, smashing and tearing it to pieces. How far we fell I don't know, my eyes had closed long before we reached the bottom of the cavern. We collided with the floor, wood and rocks smashed down around us, I covered my head with my arms, groaning from the shock of the fall and collision.

I open my eyes and slowly move my arms from above my head. Pushing myself forwards I try to scramble out from under the debris of the bridge. "Well, that could have been worse!" I felt the pressure before I heard the thud. I groaned, turning to see that the corpse of the Goblin King had fallen from above, straight down onto us.

"Don't speak too soon," I groaned, pushing myself up and out of the pile of wood and stone.

We'd landed at the bottom of an extremely large cavern. It was lucky that there weren't any sharp rocks littered down here, otherwise we would have been sliced to bits. Bofur was right, it could have been a whole lot wor-

"Gandalf!" I spin around towards the pile of debris, my eyes shooting upwards with the rest of the company's. Above us, hundreds upon hundreds of goblins are cascading down into the cavern, whooping and yelling, howling and wailing. They want our blood, they want vengeance for the king we have slain. My hand finds the hilt of my blade, although my arms protest about lifting it. I am too weak, too tired to fight anymore.

"We can't beat all of them!" I yell, spinning to look at Gandalf.

"Only one thing will save us," He said, "Daylight! Fly!"

The cavern disappeared into a long, narrow tunnel. That could be one thing that would aid us; all of those goblins wouldn't be able to get through to us at once. My feet slap against the rocks, and despite Hobbits being known for their very durable feet, they were actually hurting quite a lot. We turned corners and weaved round the labyrinth of pathways and crevices until eventually, ahead, a large crack opened up and the brilliance of the setting sun washed over the opening. I picked up my pace, wanting nothing more than to be rid of this horrid place and the foul things that reside within it.

The howls of the goblins pick up as they realise that we are getting away. With a final bout of speed I burst out into the open, right into the middle of a forest of trees. But even then we don't stop running. Far away from the crack we run, down, down, down the hill, over rocks and past trees. We run until the sun is hidden behind the great mountain and the howls of the goblins are only whispers on the wind. Only then, and only then we stop.

I fall onto my knees; pulling air into my lungs and coughing it back as the sharp sting in my lungs bring tears to my eyes. I hear Gandalf; he's counting, 'five, six, seven'… Bilbo! I scramble to my feet, turning, my eyes searching, roaming over every person looking for a smaller figure between the dwarves. I look back up the hill; nothing. Down, further down the hill; nothing.

"Bilbo," I say, directing my voice at no one specific. "Bilbo! Where is he?"

"Where is Bilbo?" Gandalf said, "Where is our Hobbit?" He's lost. Gone… Dead? No. No, no, no. He can't be.

"Curse the Halfling! Now he's lost!" My mind is spinning, running through what could have happened to him. He could be lost or he could have been slain where he stood, crushed, ambushed, fallen into a cavern to starve!

"I thought he was with Dori!"

"Don't blame me!"

"We have to go back!" I yell, frantically. "We have to go back! We must find him!"

"Where did you last see him, Dori," Gandalf said, ignoring my protests. Tears begun to sting the corners of my eyes, my breathing hitched.

"I think I saw him get away when they first collard us,"

"What happened exactly?" Said Gandalf, his tone worried, "Tell me!"

"I'll tell you what happened," It was Thorin who spoke, and before he even begun I knew what he was going to say. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He thought of nothing but his warm bed and hearth since he walked out of his door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again!"

"No!" I yell, turning, my eyes blazing, anger bubbling. "Don't you _dare_ say that! He wouldn't leave! He wouldn't. He wouldn't leave you! He wouldn't leave _me_! That is why something is wrong! He could be captured, hurt, lying at the bottom of a cavern somewhere and you are here questioning his loyalty! How dare you!" Somewhere along the line they had all fallen silent, and now the tears had begun falling down my cheeks so fast that there would be a river in the valley before the stars came out. "I don't care if you don't want to look for him." I say, sniffing and wiping my eyes, "But I _am_ going back, because I can't leave him in there."

Thorin shook his head, "He is long gone." Did he hear nothing of what I had just said? I clenched my fist and stared up at Thorin, his gaze did not waver.

"No." The voice came from behind Thorin. "No, he isn't." Bilbo. I didn't think, I just ran straight towards him. I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight, because all that mattered at this moment was that he was here; he didn't leave, he isn't captured, he isn't injured and he isn't lying dead at the bottom of a cavern. I pulled back, my eyes watering, but no tears falling.

"I thought you were hurt," I whispered, smiling weakly. "You're not though, are you?" Bilbo shook his head and smiled. His gaze then turned to the ripped fabric on my shoulder.

"But you are," He said worriedly.

"No, no," I said, "It's fine, it just stings a bit."

"Bilbo Baggins," Said Gandalf, cutting off Bilbo's concern. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my whole life."

"We'd given you up," Said Kili, smiling broadly from next to his brother. "How on earth did you get past the goblins?"

_How did he get past the goblins?_ I wonder, thinking of how he had just disappeared back in the mountain. How did he get away from the hundreds- if not thousands- of ravenous goblins that had chased us from the mountains? It seemed near impossible, but then I remembered what Gandalf said back in Bag End all those days ago, '_Hobbits can pass unseen if they want to, and although the dragon is familiar with the scent of dwarf, he has never before smelt a Hobbit' _perhaps that is why. Bilbo is perfectly capable of passing through places unseen, unheard. There was many a time when I was younger that Bilbo had snuck up on me, I had once dropped a whole loaf of bread because he had jumped out from behind the pantry door, and needless to say our mother was not very happy about that.

"Why did you come back?" Thorin said, breaking me from my memory. He looked questioningly at Bilbo.

"I know you doubt me, I know you always have, and you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong… Where _we_ belong," He cast a sideways glance at me. "That's home. That's why I came back, 'cause… You don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

Momentarily we all seemed to be stunned into silence at Bilbo's little speech. Thorin cast his eyes to the ground, and I am sure that mine shone with adoration for my older brother. The adoration that I could see reflected in each and every one of the dwarves' eyes, and the pride that echoed in Gandalf's. We stood there in silence, for more than a moment, for many moments. We stood until the sun brought the shadow of the mountain past our feet and off along into the trees. We stood until we heard the twit-twoo of the birds die in the distance and then we listened, as in the darkness above the mountain, a howl echoed.

Our heads snapped round. It seemed, at the moment, that things could only get worse, and worse they had gotten. From out of the shadow of the great mountains, the silhouettes of at least ten wargs and riders fell upon the forest. The trees cracked as the wind began to whip through them, and the sun fell lower in the sky throwing the darkness further over the valley.

For a moment we were stunned, and in the next we were running again. We ran down further into the valley, past rocks, over boulders, dodging trees. The growls and snarls grew louder as we reached the end of the valley; the Wargs far outdid our speed. "Bilbo! Watch out!" I cried as a Warg leaped over his head, landing in front of him. It turned, snarling, and lunged. Bilbo's bladed pierced its skull and the beast fell, dead.

The dwarves were ahead of us, they stopped, stared out at the valley that dropped off onto nothing. Trapped. That's what we are. Trapped like rats in the pantry of the Green Dragon. "Up! Up into the trees! Quickly now! Climb!"

I ran for the nearest tree, swinging my legs up onto the rough bark and pulling myself up with all the strength I could muster. Up, up, up, faster, trying not to slip or fall. Bilbo followed after me, clambering just out of the reach of the Warg that had snapped at his leg.

I glanced down at the tops of the Wargs heads. They circled the trees, snarling, panting, looking up at their meal. Their ears pricked, a noise that we didn't hear startled them. They stopped growling, stopped looking up at us and glanced towards the mountain.

I followed their gaze, as did everyone else. At first my eyes found the shadow of a thing I couldn't truly see, then the moon peaked out from behind a rolling cloud and the light fell upon the body of a thing that everyone should remember. I glanced upon the beast that the orc was riding. White as snow with glowing red eyes, scars littering its body and lips curled back showing its fangs. It growled, the sound echoing so loud that it pained my ears. Then my eyes moved up, past the White Warg and its scared body, up to the form of something much worse. Something that I knew must have struck fear into the hearts of the dwarves because mine was quivering.

Where it's hand should have been was a claw, a horrid sharply pointed thing that pierced the joint where it's elbow should be. In the other hand it held a mace, jagged and covered in dry blood. Just like the Warg, its body was littered with scars, its eyes sunken and blue, glowed at us from their sockets. It sniffed the air, nostrils flaring, almost as if it could smell the fear that radiated from each and every one of us. And then it spoke. And when it spoke its voice echoed around in my head. Then, I heard something, and I knew that the others had heard it too. Amidst the cracking and splintering of its voice, two words could be heard, two words that made me shudder, that confirmed everything.

"Thorin… Thrain…"

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**_First and foremost, I am so sorry, once again I have failed to update as quickly as I had promised! Secondly, I have got my Appreticeship, which means I will be working soon! Thirdly, I'm sixteen on Sunday! Woo! Sweet sixteen! Big party with dresses and cake! LOKI'D! I'm joking, I'm going to go and roll around in the dirt in some field playing paintball with three of my best friends! Wish me luck! :D Anyways, next chapter WILL (and I swear this on the line of Durin) be updated by May 14th, this is a Tuesday, one day after my French exams! But it shall be done! _**

**_Enough of me ranting. *ends rant and apology session* Tell me what you think, they will get longer sooner, I promise that as well! _**

**_L.I.D_**


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